Larkspur
by asterire
Summary: "I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul." - Pablo Neruda (Fifty Shades rewrite. LGBTQ . BDSM relationship. Cross-posted from Wattpad. Original Characters only.)
1. Chapter One

_**Foreword  
**_

 _As you may have already guessed, this is a rewrite of the_ Fifty Shades _trilogy by E.L. James. The reason for this being that the entirety of_ Fifty Shades _was utter trash._

 _There are several key differences, that I suppose will be evident as this progresses. What I believe to be the primary issue with E.L. James is that she writes about things that she is entirely ignorant about. And this is also what became the inspiration for the basis of this rewrite - and as an LGBTQ+ East Asian member of the BDSM community, I hope to be able to do the premise of this work justice._

 _I'm not entirely sure whether this is within guidelines. There is a plot that will become especially evident as this progresses, but the sexual relationship will take a very prominent role, and there will be many explicitly sexual scenes. If anyone is more familiar with the guidelines than I am, please feel free to either comment or DM me._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River woke with a jolt, so suddenly and violently that his head spun dizzyingly and his heart pounded as his dazed mind tried to make sense of where he was, and more importantly, what was going on. He blinked several times in a futile attempt to clear the sleep from his eyes, and when that didn't work, rubbed his hand across his eyes, yawning.

He pushed his fringe out of his eyes and glanced outside the window, frowning in confusion when he noticed that there was barely a pink strip of sun shining feebly through the cheap curtains, blurred and soft around the edges with the absence of his glasses. His roommate was still asleep in the bed beside him, his deep, slow breathing the only sound in the room. A quick glance at his phone, charging on his bedside table, confirmed that it was barely six in the morning. River let out a groan, rolling over in his bed and burying his face into the scratchy sheets, determinedly trying to will himself back to sleep for another few hours.

A slightly muffled screech echoed through the apartment, startling River so badly that he flinched and slammed his head against the headboard. He sat up immediately, fumbling around for his glasses and pushing them up the bridge of his nose and skidding across the bare hardwood floor as he dashed out of the room, his heart beating frantically in his chest.

"What's going on?" River demanded, his voice rough and slightly hoarse from having just woken up. He paused, recognizing the familiar curly dark hair of the person sitting in the chair, lit by the almost blindingly bright light of her laptop in the darkness of the room. "Sofia?"

His roommate's face was buried in her hands, her shoulders hunched and her body slumped in her chair, muttering under her breath. At the sound of River's voice, she looked up, twisting around to face him. There were dark shadows under her eyes, which, combined with her unruly hair made her seem frantic in her distress.

" _'Read by everyone_ '," Sofia quoted, her normally low, smooth voice rising in pitch, her hands gesturing wildly. "And how many slides are in the PowerPoint? _Two goddamn slides, and one of them is the title slide!_ " She shrieked.

"Sofia," River began hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"Does it _look_ like I'm okay?" Sofia looked more stressed than River had ever seen her – and considering that he'd known her all throughout the three-and-a-half years they'd been in university together so far, that was saying something. "I have two essays due, one of which I haven't even _looked_ at yet, never mind started, three tests in the next week, about twenty assignments, and this project with the most useless fucking group members in the goddamn world." She broke off, coughing so violently that her entire body shook. " _Fuck_ ," she choked out emphatically between coughs.

"Have you slept at all tonight?" River wasn't sure if he needed a verbal confirmation – the dark, bruise-like shadows under Sofia's bloodshot eyes were answer enough. She shook her head, swaying slightly in her chair like a reed in the wind. "Jesus, 'Fia. You only have one lecture tomorrow – well, today, I guess – right? Stay here and get some rest."

"I can't!" Sofia wailed, her voice cracking and squeaking up an octave. "I have the interview today at three, and you _know_ how important it is for me to be there!"

River winced, both at Sofia's rise in pitch and the reminder (and cast an envious glance at the narrow hallway leading back to the two bedrooms in the apartment – where their other two roommates were no doubt sleeping blissfully through the night). Yes, he did know how important it was for Sofia to be at the interview. He'd been by her side throughout the entire process of scheduling the damn thing, and he would have dismissed it as something that was not nearly worth the effort Sofia had put into it, but for the fact that it could very well be the thing that spurred her from her internship at _Dalton Daily_ to a full-fledged career in journalism.

"Try rescheduling?" He offered, but that only seemed to make Sofia more agitated.

"It's taken me the entirety of the school year so far just to get him to agree to this interview. I don't want to push it – especially since Nakano _doesn't ever_ do interviews, and it's a goddamn miracle that he agreed to do one with me in the first place."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," River agreed, frowning. Kiyoshi Nakano was something of a legend, and almost always the subject of media scrutiny – to no avail. River hadn't particularly kept up on any articles about him – most of them were only speculation and little more than poorly-disguised gossip, not least because Nakano refused point-blank to sit down for any proper interviews and never seemed to give straight answers to questions at the best of times – but even he knew that Nakano was very young, especially to be the CEO of a leading software development company in the world (even if that company had been inherited). River could only imagine that he'd been so unbelievably annoyed with Sofia's constant phone calls and emails that he'd finally agreed to an interview simply to shut her up. "This interview is important, I know. But you really only need to write the article, right? What if someone went in your place?"

He felt a lurching sensation in his stomach as he caught sight of the gleam in Sofia's eyes. "Oh no –" he said hastily. "I didn't mean – Sofia, you know I'm not, I can't –"

"Why not?" Sofia said, pushing herself up in her chair. "It was your _idea_ , and besides, you're the only one I'd trust to not fuck this up. It's not like you have a million things to study for, you're only taking two classes this semester, for fuck's sake, and you're top of the class in both of them. You'd only have to read the questions off the paper; I've already prepared them, and record it so I can transcribe it."

"'Fia," River said in desperation, but knew it was a lost cause.

"You should be there at least fifteen minutes ahead of time. Don't bother writing anything down, since you'll be recording the whole thing anyway and since your handwriting is shit anyway."

"'Fia," River repeated, but stopped, shaking his head.

" _Please_ , River."

"I –" River sighed. "All right, fine. I'll do it."

Sofia beamed, stumbling out of her chair on stiff legs and grabbing River's arm to pull him into a hug. River endured it for a few seconds, before another coughing fit from Sofia gave him the opportunity to pull awkwardly away.

"You're the best," Sofia said gratefully, sniffling slightly. She wobbled precariously, almost pitching forwards before River caught her by the shoulders.

"Yeah, okay," River said. "Now go get some _sleep_."

* * *

River swallowed nervously, reflexively tugging at the collar of his shirt, protruding through the neck of his windbreaker. He wasn't used to dressing up at all – he'd never had a reason to, after all, except for the odd piano recital when he was younger – and he was feeling distinctly uncomfortable in his navy-blue button-up shirt and not-quite-perfectly ironed black slacks. The wind bit through the thin material with an icy snap uncharacteristic of March weather and ruffled his usually smooth, straight black hair into unruly spikes, blowing his fringe into his eyes. He shivered; he'd been standing outside the sleek, glossy glass-and-steel building that loomed before him for several minutes now, attracting a fair amount of dirty looks and muttered insults, but even the sight of the building alone was daunting.

 _Sofia will kill you if you don't do this_ , River reminded himself. He should be in bed right now, catching up on sleep, or at least pretending to be working on the program he had due in a week. Instead, he was standing in downtown Dalton, shivering as he stood outside the main building to Nakano Enterprises and trying to talk himself into walking inside.

River took a deep breath and stepped quickly up the stairs leading to the entrance, almost tripping over his own feet. He flailed out an arm to catch himself on the railing, blushing even though there was no one around that cared enough about a lanky barely-adult on the stairs to even notice. His face still hot with embarrassment, he pushed through the heavy glass doors that nonetheless swung forwards smoothly and without a sound.

He almost balked right then and there. If he'd thought the building was intimidating from the outside, it was ten times more so from the inside. Everything seemed cold, severe, and harsh: flat blacks and pristine whites, angular edges and sharp corners, with the weak sunlight filtering harshly bright through the glass. There were quite a few people walking back and forth, talking on phones, or simply sitting around, waiting, but the place was so massive that it seemed oddly empty.

"May I help you?"

River started guiltily, realizing belatedly that he was blocking part of the entrance to the building. A rather young woman wearing a dark blue pantsuit was looking expectantly at him, clearly waiting for a response.

"Oh, um," River stammered, taken aback. "My name is River Lu. I, I'm here for an interview with Mr. Nakano at three. I'm from, um, _Dalton Daily_ , in place of Sofia Castillo?"

The woman seemed to take this as an acceptable answer. "Sign in at the receptionist desk. You have your Press ID?"

River nodded, fumbling in his pocket and clumsily retrieving the laminated card that Sofia had given him before he'd left, almost dropping the recorder – also in his pocket – in the process. Apparently satisfied with his credibility, she gestured for him to follow, the sound of her heels clicking on the tiles tapping a steady rhythm as she lead him to a man sitting behind a lofty counter. Prompted by the receptionist's slightly raised eyebrows, River repeated what he had just told the woman, relieved to have gotten the words out more smoothly this time.

"Yes, Sofia Castillo was expected to come in today," the receptionist said. "Have a seat. We'll call you when Mr. Nakano is ready to see you."

River thanked both of them – a little haltingly, but they seemed pleased, nonetheless – and took a seat in a ridiculously nice bonded leather chair. He couldn't relax, though, and sat on the edge of his seat, fidgeting restlessly. He thought about scrolling through his phone, but was immediately mortified by the hypothetical situation in which someone important would catch him behaving in a distinctly unprofessional manner.

He settled instead for casting his gaze around the room, taking in the finer details. There were actually a few splashes of colour here and there, he realized: mostly in the form of plants. A few feet away from him, a plant with waxy dark green leaves and scarlet flowers sat in a square of sunlight, a small bonsai tree was tucked away into a niche in the wall, and there were several small cacti with delicate pink flowers blooming jauntily on the counter.

"Mr. Lu?"

River glanced up to see a different woman almost hovering over him, looking as nervous as he felt. She seemed about his age, and he wondered briefly if she went to Dalton University as well. Perhaps she was an intern.

"Would you like me to take your jacket?" She asked. The words seemed well-rehearsed but uncertain, and she seemed to be trying to hide behind her curtain of long brown hair.

"Oh," River said. "Sure, I guess." He winced as he replayed the words in his head – much, much too informal – but the girl didn't seem to mind. He shrugged off his windbreaker and handed it over to her, and she, for her part, simply looked relieved to have something to do.

Hardly a moment had passed when the first woman returned.

"Mr. Nakano will see you now."

River rose to his feet, feeling the familiar flutter of anxiety in his stomach. _For Sofia, remember. Or rather, for your own safety,_ River corrected himself, knowing how upset Sofia would be if she didn't get a permanent position at Dalton Daily because River had bailed on her.

"His office is on the twentieth floor," the woman informed him. "I'm headed up anyways, so I'll see you there part of the way. Just stay on the elevator until the highest floor."

The elevator buttons lit up an electric blue as she pressed down first on floor number sixteen, then on the button marked twenty. River stumbled and nearly fell backwards as the elevator shot upwards, popping his ears and landing awkwardly across the railing attached to the wall. He pushed himself back to his feet, blushing furiously and expecting a huff of disdain, but incredibly, the woman seemed to be stifling a genuine laugh.

"My name is Antara Khatri," she introduced herself, offering her hand. River took it, relieved that she, at least, didn't seem to think any less of him because of his complete ineptitude. "I'm the head of the Finance Department here at Nakano Enterprises. I do hope you know what you've gotten yourself into – there's a reason why there are never any interviews featuring Mr. Nakano. Most journalists don't last very long in the same room with him."

River stared at her, not quite sure what to make of the ominous statement, coupled with the half-smile on Antara's face. It sounded almost like a threat, which did absolutely nothing to calm River's already tightly strung nerves. What was Nakano like? He hadn't done any research at all; it seemed strange to meet someone with all the knowledge of their accomplishments, history, and status at his disposal. He knew he was very young to be a CEO – most likely in his early thirties – but besides that, that was it. Was he cruel? Malicious? Or perhaps he was simply an arrogant bastard who thought of lowly journalists as being beneath him?

Just then, the elevator _dinged_ at the sixteenth floor, snapping River out of his thoughts which were steadily spiralling wildly out of his control and dipping into the realms of nightmarish imagination. Antara walked out, calling a "Good luck!" Over her shoulder. River appreciated the sentiment, but it only served to make him more anxious for what was apparently to come.

The elevator came to a halt on the twentieth floor and the doors slid open, revealing a stretch of black-and-white wall. River took a deep breath, steeling himself.

 _You just have to go in, read some questions, and walk out. It'll take all of fifteen minutes._

River stepped out of the elevator, looking uncertainly around him, before he spotted a door – curiously enough, not made of glass like almost everything else seemed to be. He rubbed his sweat-slick palms on the fabric of his slacks, swallowing hard

 _Come on. You can do this._

River knocked twice on the door, the sound echoing through the practically empty place. He waited, holding his breath out of paranoia that any sound would alert Nakano to his fear.

"Come in," came a faint command. River hesitated for another split second, rocking back on his heels, before twisting the handle and pushing the door open.


	2. Chapter Two

_**Note**_

 _I wasn't expecting so many reads in a few days - nor was I expecting this to be followed by several people in such a short time. I didn't know that people still actively searched for_ Fifty Shades _fanfiction. To each their own, I suppose. Then again, technically speaking, I'm writing fanfiction for_ Fifty Shades _,_ _so I guess I can't complain._

 _There is nothing explicit in this chapter - suggestive, most definitely, but nothing outright. However, I am including a warning_ _for profanity. It is, perhaps, not exactly excessive by my standards, but it is very much present and will continue to be so for the duration of this work. If, again, this is not something you are comfortable with, you are not obliged to stay._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

"Well _hello_ there, kitten."

The low, drawling, almost sarcastic-sounding voice belonged to a man who was – there was really no other word for it, lounging lazily in his seat by an enormous polished wood desk across the room. The man rose to his feet, his gaze roving over River where he stood, frozen and speechless, in the doorway.

 _This must be Nakano_ , his brain very helpfully supplied, amidst his haze of shock.

Once River had started forming coherent thoughts in his mind again, the first thing he registered was that Nakano was very, very attractive. He couldn't possibly be older than thirty – River would have guessed late twenties, perhaps – which was in and of itself already startling, that someone so young would be at the head of an empire. He was tall – taller than River, but then again, that wasn't much of an achievement, as River wasn't exactly tall to begin with. He had finely chiseled features, a sharp jawline, and pale skin that stood in stark contrast with his surprisingly long, sleek black hair that nearly brushed his shoulders. His dress shirt was so fine and sheer that River could see the outline of his lean body through the material and his broad shoulders almost straining at the fabric, and his slacks clung to his body so tightly that his long legs (and, if River was being honest, very fine ass – and immediately flushed guiltily for thinking it) were on perfect display. This was a man who knew exactly how appealing he could be, and clearly used it to his advantage.

 _Maybe it's unintentional_ , River thought weakly, but one look at Nakano's face drove away any such doubts. His dark eyes were gleaming with what seemed to be amusement, the corner of his mouth quirked upwards in the barest imitation of a smirk, his eyebrows raised as he watched River's not-so-discreet assessment of him.

"You are most certainly _not_ Miss Sofia Castillo," Nakano observed. River swallowed hard, finding his voice with some difficulty.

"N – no, she, she couldn't make it," River stammered. Nakano's smirk seemed to widen, and River wondered if he was laughing at him. "She sent me here instead. She, um, really wanted to come, and the interview's really important to her, it's just that she's busy and she's also kind of sick, so –" River stopped himself before he could work himself up anymore. "So, um, yeah," he concluded feebly.

"Well, then," Nakano gestured to his desk, indicating the presence of two other chairs across from the one he had just vacated. "Shall we begin?"

River nodded, before realizing that it hadn't really been a question. He took a seat, ducking his head so that he could at least obscure part of his flaming face with his fringe.

"I, um, need to record this for Sofia," River told Nakano, not quite daring to look up at him again. Nakano vocalized no objections, so River fumbled in his pocket for the recorder and the notepad of questions, taking both out and setting the recorder on Nakano's desk.

River looked up at Nakano, who was now sitting across from him, tugging at his tie. River's eyes were involuntarily drawn to the movement of the silk slipping through his deft fingers. Nakano, perhaps sensing his gaze, slowly, deliberately loosened the tight Windsor knot and delicately undid the top two buttons of his shirt.

 _Oh fuck. That's not – he's not – this isn't happening._

River cleared his throat, certain now that if he blushed any harder, he would spontaneously combust, hastily averting his gaze and looking back down at the questions on the notepad. In his haste, his glasses slipped partway down his nose and he nudged them back up. _Is he – is he flirting? Is he gay? Does he even know that I'm gay?_ River thought wildly.

 _I can see what Antara meant._ Nakano seemed to be purposefully messing with River now. And River, like the virginal fool he was, was only playing right into his hands.

"To – to what do you owe your success?" River asked, stumbling over his words.

"My devastatingly good looks."

River stared at Nakano, who stared evenly back, the corner of his mouth still quirked upwards in that half-grin. Nakano raised his eyebrows, and River could almost hear his unspoken, playful challenge.

"I – I mean, company wise," River clarified, pushing his glasses back up his nose nervously.

"My answer hasn't changed." Upon seeing the expression on River's face – something he was fairly certain was close to panicked terror – Nakano grinned. "Well, that and coffee, I suppose. Cigarettes, maybe?"

River hadn't been expecting that sort of response at all (and, in all honesty, Nakano still hadn't really answered his question), but it didn't seem out of character for Nakano, now that he thought about it. When Nakano reached up to brush a strand of his dark hair back into place, he noticed two glints of metal in his ears. "You smoke?" He asked, unable to repress his curiosity.

"I do anything to get me through the fucking day."

"Oh." River wasn't quite sure how to react to what appeared to be almost a bluntly truthful admission – not to mention the unexpected profanity. "Do you indulge in a lot of vices, then?"

Nakano tipped his head to one side, contemplating River, now grinning. "Well, they're enjoyable, aren't they? I suppose they're my weakness – that, and pretty faces like yours."

River blinked in stunned silence, his lips slightly parted as he let out an involuntary huff of surprise. His brain seemed to have short-circuited and left him gaping like an idiot at Nakano's boldness. _Is this even legal?_ He thought weakly. A more pressing thought presented itself at the forefront of his mind. _Is he even into guys? Or is he just fucking with me?_

 _Fuck._ River decided to just move on and try to forget what Nakano had just said. _The sooner I get through this interview, the faster I can work on purging it from my memory._

"Your company is well-known for the revolutionary changes you've made to technology. Is this something you're passionate about?" River read off the notebook.

Nakano considered this for a moment. "It's something the world is passionate about. My uncle decided to take advantage of that, and passed the responsibility onto me." Nakano paused for a second. "Developments in the technological field are fascinating, though. It's remarkable, producing more and more shit that makes life easier or more enjoyable for people…"

"What _are_ you passionate about, then? What do you do in your free time?" River asked, knowing Sofia would want an answer.

"Nothing I can disclose to _Dalton Daily_ , I can assure you, kitten. If we were alone, however…I might be persuaded to show you."

River nearly choked. "I, um, do you –" he stammered.

Nakano laughed, tipping his head back and running his fingers through his hair. "Oh, you're too fun to tease." River ducked his head, fiddling with his glasses frames for a lack of anything to do or say, his face burning. _He's just fucking with you_ , River told himself. _He's not interested. You don't even know if he's into guys. Oh fuck, I can't believe this is happening._ "I don't have a lot of free time. I like flying, I suppose. Paragliding and such."

 _Expensive tastes_ , River concluded. _Then again, he can definitely afford it._ That much was clear just from looking around the office – it was as sharp and pristine as the lobby, everything in shades of stark blacks, whites, and charcoal greys. There were a few grand paintings that River assumed were high-end, all abstract blocks of colour in the same neutral colour scheme as the office, with some dashes of brighter colours: red, pink. The office was lined entirely by glass windows, dazzlingly bright sunlight flooding into the room.

He scanned the notebook for the next question. "Speaking of your uncle, have you met any opposition to your status as CEO because you're related to the founder of the company?"

"Well, of course," Nakano snorted. "You can never keep anyone happy, especially not these fuckers."

"But –" River stopped abruptly, not sure if he was crossing a line. He glanced up to see that Nakano was looking at him expectantly, and hastened to continue. "Should, um, should you be talking about your employees like that?"

Nakano seemed too aloof to shrug, but he certainly gave the impression of it as he leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. "If they don't like me, they can leave. I'm not stopping them."

River blinked. "You're very…straightforward."

"Well, life's too short to waste time on dealing with whiny fuckers."

"Um, well, moving on," River hastened. Nakano grinned, and River suspected he was enjoying his clumsy floundering a little too much. "Expanding on the last question, you're very young, to be a CEO, especially of a large company. Are there any other difficulties you've encountered because of that?"

"Hm." Nakano seemed to contemplate the question for a moment, tapping his lips with a single finger. "Well, I suppose it might seem that I have, to everyone else – but really, the fact that I'm young is only an advantage, in more places than one. I'm more…passionate and open-minded, and I have a great deal more…stamina."

River spluttered incoherently. Nakano's careful pauses and eye contact only confirmed his suspicion that Nakano knew full well what his words were implying. _This is being published_ , River thought desperately. _Does he know? Of course he does – but does he even care?_

"Do you feel that your success has impacted your personal life?" River said quickly, relieved that this was one of the last questions on Sofia's list.

"Already getting into the personal details? We're going fast, aren't we?"

"I – what I mean is – has there been a negative effect on your personal relationships?"

Nakano raised his eyebrows. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know." He caught sight of River's no doubt flaming face and grinned, uncrossing his legs and leaning forwards to rest his elbows on his desk. "But I suppose so. It's so boring, you know? When everyone is so intimidated by my success. It's really no fun at all."

Nakano's tone was so flippantly arrogant, so obviously spoiled and privileged and secure in his success, so very like everyone River had to fight past for his acceptance into Dalton University, that River bristled with sudden annoyance. "Who says you intimidate people?"

River was fully expecting Nakano to close off and glare, perhaps even storm off at River's burst of confidence and the quip he was already regretting – but to his surprise, Nakano laughed, a wild, unrestrained laugh.

"Oh, you're a feisty little kitten, aren't you?" Nakano rested his chin on his hand, apparently evaluating River with a new sort of interest. River fidgeted uncomfortably under his scrutiny, reflexively fiddling with his glasses. "Why, you don't think being worth millions is just the slightest bit daunting to normal people?"

River shrugged, still flushed, but determined not to let Nakano win this round. He wasn't about to let Nakano reduce him to a stuttering, awkward idiot – he was at Dalton for a damn reason, and that was because he was intelligent and capable. Most of the time, in any case.

"Well, your dominance in the company doesn't necessarily mean that you're in control everywhere else."

Nakano ran his tongue over his bottom lip – and River realized, very belatedly, that there were two metal balls pierced through the left side of Nakano's lip. "Oh, believe me, kitten. Between the two of us, I can show you just how dominant I can be."

River wanted to die right then and there, especially as his face flamed – not entirely from embarrassment alone. He swallowed hard and scanned the questions list desperately.

 _Oh God, no. Sofia can't be serious._

 _I'm not going to say it. I won't._

 _…I'm going to say it._

 _Fuck, Sofia owes me._

River took a breath. "Are – are you gay?" He blurted out, absolutely mortified. He glanced up at Nakano fearfully, on the edge of his seat and seriously considering fleeing if he showed signs of being offended. Though to be fair, River would have been at least mildly offended, too, if the same question was directed towards him.

"Why, are you interested?"

River let out an intelligible, entirely undignified half-strangled squeaking sound. Nakano, for his part, looked like he was barely restraining himself from bursting out into laughter again.

"But no, I'm not," Nakano said, and River didn't know whether he felt relieved that Nakano had clearly only been messing with him earlier, or disappointed that Nakano had clearly only been messing with him earlier. At least, until Nakano said, in a voice pitched purposefully low, holding River's gaze with gleaming dark eyes – "I prefer not to limit my choices."

River was saved from having to think of a response by a knock on the office door. He started at the sudden sound, his head snapping towards the door.

"Mr. Nakano? You have a meeting in ten minutes," came the faint sound of a woman's voice.

"I'm in the middle of something," Nakano called back, not breaking eye contact.

"No, it's all right," River said hastily. "That was the last question. You can, um, go to your meeting. Thank you for the interview."

"The pleasure's all mine, kitten."

 _Stop calling me kitten_ , River begged him silently. But he shied away automatically from the thought of such a bold confrontation. He stuffed the recorder and the notebook back into his bag, straightening up quickly, intending to flee before he could embarrass himself further.

River paused before he opened the door, glancing back at Nakano and opening his mouth for – well, he wasn't really sure why. He flushed, awkwardly raising his hand in a clumsy nonverbal farewell. Nakano's laughter followed him out of the office.


	3. Chapter Three

"Tell me that was a joke."

Jun sounded so incredulous that if River hadn't been the source of that incredulity, he would have laughed out loud. As it was, he just cringed and ducked his head to let his fringe fall over his eyes, hot with embarrassment. Jun fixed him with a look crossed between amusement, pity and disbelief.

"Look, I wanted to know," Sofia said, entirely unrepentant. "Besides, River didn't necessarily have to ask that question –"

"Yes, he did, and you know it. You would've sulked for days, otherwise."

"Excuse me, I don't _sulk_ –"

"You two are blocking the sidewalk," River interjected, because he knew the two of them could go at it all day. Sofia looked like she wanted to keep arguing with Jun, but when River indicated the dark looks annoyed passers-by were sending them, she relented and shifted so that she was walking two paces behind River and Jun.

"How far do we have to go?" Jun asked, glancing around at the shops and cafés lining the bustling street they were on.

"Not long, Kacey only took up this job because it was close to the apartment," River said, referring to their fourth roommate. "Well, that, and because she meets the language requirement," he added as an afterthought.

"Why couldn't you work there, then – never mind, I don't care," Jun decided. "Back to the important matter at hand – why the _hell_ did you ask _Kiyoshi Nakano_ whether or not he was gay?"

"I don't know," River said despairingly. "I panicked?"

" _Jesus_ , Riv. Yeah, I could tell from the recording. You had no idea what you were doing, did you?" Jun ran his fingers through his carefully styled hair in a way that made him seem not disheveled, but somehow even more attractively windswept. Jun had been so appalled when he had listened to the recording of the interview for the first time, he'd simply stared at River in amazement for several minutes. It figured, though, that someone as popular and suave as Jun would be taken aback by River's awkward fumbling through social situations.

"Wasn't really my fault," River muttered. "It's not like I'm a journalist. Besides, it worked, didn't it? _Dalton Daily_ ended up accepting Sofia to continue on after her internship is over."

"I guess," Jun admitted. "Still, I wouldn't have done it, unless you paid me. Oh, is this it? He asked, gesturing to the green sign with delicate white lettering hanging outside a small café-style shop.

"Yeah," Sofia said, pushing between the two of them to lead the way in. "Come on. Oh, and let's make this perfectly clear – I'm not buying drinks for either of you."

" _You_ were the one who invited us to celebrate," Jun said.

" _I'm_ treating myself. You guys are just tagging along. Besides, the drinks here are expensive."

The three of them entered the café. River relaxed in relief as soon as the warm air hit in, carrying the sweet scent of fruit and the sound of murmured conversations. Everything about the café seemed welcoming, from the soft cream walls to the bright, friendly-looking signs that advertised the drinks. The café was mostly empty, save for a few other students from Dalton University. Only one person was at the counter, a fairly short girl with her button nose wrinkled in concentration, a few strands of her long, dark hair escaping from her loose ponytail and falling into her face. She looked up as the chime of the door indicated their arrival, raising her hand in a half-wave. River waved back at Kacey, offering her a smile, which she returned briefly before turning around to busy herself with serving up a drink.

Beside River, Sofia and Jun were engaged in another round of half-joking arguments.

"What do I get?" She asked, staring up at the menu.

"Whatever you want, who cares? You were the one who wanted to get bubble tea."

"Yeah, but I've never tried it before," Sofia defended herself. "Hey, Jun, what do those characters say?"

"I'm _Korean_ , you dipshit, how the hell would I know? Just read the English translations."

"Yeah, but then I'm not getting the authentic experience."

"You guys going to order anytime this year?" Came Kacey's half-exasperated, half-amused voice. Her arms were crossed over her issued light green shirt that matched the colour scheme of the store, half-covered by her black apron. "Not that we're particularly busy right now, but still."

River laughed guiltily. "Sorry, Kacey. I'll take a regular taro milk tea. No ice."

"Well, at least River's making my job easier," Kacey commented. "Sofia, Jun?"

"I'll have a large lychee black tea," Jun said promptly. Kacey turned to look expectantly at Sofia.

"Whatever you recommend," Sofia said, shrugging.

They paid for their orders and milled around the counter. Their drinks took several minutes longer than they should have, mostly because Jun and Sofia kept either cracking jokes or making wildly inappropriate comments to make both River and Kacey laugh.

"Come on and join us," Sofia suggested once they had gotten their drinks. When Kacey hesitated, Jun pressed her.

"There's no one here. You can just go back around the counter when someone comes in."

Kacey deliberated for a second longer before giving in. "Yeah, okay. Wait one second."

She slipped out from behind the counter and the four of them slid into seats around a small rectangular table, away from the other group of Dalton students. River sipped slowly at his drink as the conversation shifted to Jun and Kacey's comparison of their notes in their shared classes, as Sofia attempted multiple times, unsuccessfully, to poke her straw through the plastic cover of her drink.

"Here, let me – ah, too late," Kacey said, wincing as Sofia successfully punctured a hole through her drink and yelped as it immediately overflowed. River laughed and Jun shook his head in exaggerated disappointment.

"Oops," Sofia said apologetically, accepting the napkins that River proffered to her and sopping up the spill. "Sorry about that, Kacey. I'm guessing you'll have to clean that up?"

"Oh, it's fine." Kacey waved off her concern. "It'll only take a few seconds. Most people don't get it the first time –" she stopped as the chime signalled the arrival of another customer, automatically starting to rise from her seat. River twisted in his seat to look at who it was. His eyes widened when he caught sight of a dark blue suit jacket (that seemed completely at odds with the pleasant little café) and sleek, shoulder-length black hair.

"That's not…" Sofia started, trailing off.

"What the hell?" Jun said, staring at the newcomer. "What the actual hell?"

Nakano strode up to the counter, waiting with a coolly bored expression, tapping his fingers against his leg. Kacey scrambled behind the counter, looking apologetic but quite remarkably unfazed by the fact that the head of a technological empire had just strolled into a bubble tea shop.

River stared intently down at his drink, trying to shrink down in his seat and hoping that Nakano wouldn't notice him – the last thing he needed was for his friends to be teasing him for days afterwards, especially seeing as he lived with them.

He heard Nakano place his order, his low, drawling voice less distinguishable through the music playing overhead and the constant chatter of the other customers than Kacey's higher, purposefully bright and cheerfully rehearsed phrases. Minutes passed, and he finally relaxed when he heard Kacey call out "have a nice day", certain that Nakano would be leaving. He wasn't sure why someone like him was here in the first place. The very thought was bizarre.

"We meet again, kitten."

River, who had been trying to get a stubborn tapioca ball up through his straw, inhaled sharply in his surprise. The tapioca ball shot up through the straw and hit the back of his throat, making his choke and splutter, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. He straightened up, dragging his sleeve over his streaming eyes as he fell into a coughing fit. Nakano was watching him, his lips pressed tightly together as if he was barely restraining himself from laughing.

"I – um, hello, Mr. Nakano, um, Sir," River stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Nakano made a vague gesture with his hand. "My office is right down the street."

"Why here, though?" River elaborated, out of genuine curiosity and spurred on by the fact that his friends were being almost thoughtful and pretending to be deeply engaged in their own conversations. "Bubble tea doesn't really seem like it's your, um, your thing."

"Oh, it's not. I like the mango green tea here," Nakano said casually, holding up his drink. "I've never seen you around before, though," he continued, looking expectantly at River

"Um, no, I don't usually come here," River offered lamely.

"Pity. I wouldn't mind seeing you around more often." River felt a now-familiar hot flush creeping up his neck and fiddled nervously with his glasses, hastily taking a gulp of his drink just for something to do.

Sofia seemed to take pity on him and spoke up in a clear voice, looking Nakano directly in the eye with an enviable, resolute confidence. It was easy to imagine how Nakano had finally relented to her persistent demands, and even easier to see her as every bit the journalist she was determined to become. "Hello there, Mr. Nakano. I'd like to thank you in person for agreeing to the interview. I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person."

Nakano turned his attention to her, tipping his head to one side. "I assume you're Sofia Castillo?" When Sofia nodded, he smiled – the slightest quirk upwards of the left corner of his lip. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Castillo. I've always wanted to meet the person who has been assaulting my inbox regularly for the past nine months."

Sofia looked entirely unashamed, a feat River would never have been able to pull off. Somewhere in the back of his mind, River registered that Nakano's tone was very different from the one that he'd used to speak with River during the interview, despite saying more or less the same thing. _The pleasure's all mine, kitten…_ his voice had been low, his eyes half-lidded and glinting playfully. Even though he was as charming and vaguely inappropriate as ever, his voice was perfectly pleasant and carried not even a hint of subtext.

Was Nakano…interested? Did River _want_ him to be interested? He thought about the nervous little flutter in his stomach when Nakano had referred to Sofia properly as 'Miss Castillo' and compared it to Nakano calling him 'kitten', but refused to come to a conclusion.

"I should be going," Nakano said, sounding the slightest bit regretful. He looked back at River, his eyes going straight to River's lips around the thick plastic straw. River's eyes widened and he pulled back immediately, to a chuckle from Nakano – a low, quiet little thing that was over so quickly that River barely caught it. "But if you want to see something that's more, ah, my thing, you could meet me down the street at _Aspect_ tonight."

River still hadn't quite processed Nakano's words by the time he had left. He sat in his seat, stunned into silence, meeting Sofia and Jun's identically blank stares.

Kacey's return was what broke the moment of confused astonishment. "Sorry for ditching," she said, smiling at her own joke.

"Why are you acting like Nakano just strolls into this bubble tea shop on a daily basis?" Sofia demanded, sounding almost offended at Kacey's casualness.

"He sort of does, actually," Kacey said, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. "Well, that's what I've been told. I've only seen him here one other time, and that was a few days ago, when I first started. Same order every time, apparently, but never on a specific day or time."

"You know what," Jun began. "I'm a lot less concerned about the fact that edgy businessman over there likes green tea, and a lot more concerned about the fact that he just invited River here to go out clubbing."

River, who had just taken another sip of his neglected drink, nearly choked again. "What?" He coughed, swallowing hard. He had to have heard wrong – there was no way…

" _Aspect_ is a nightclub," Jun informed him. "It's just down the street from here."

" _Why_ do you know this?"

"Because I have a social life, unlike all of you," he responded to Sofia, and ducked when she smacked lightly at his shoulder. "And, I turned twenty-one last year. None of you except for River is of age, and River's too preoccupied with maintaining his millions of scholarships to do anything entertaining."

"Oh, shut up," River complained, though without any real heat behind it.

"It's the truth, and you know it. That's not important, though." Jun looked at River, eyebrows raised. "Are you going to go?"

"Look," River began, but broke off, shaking his head. "Kacey?" He asked imploringly, because Jun was looking entirely too entertained and Sofia's eyes were gleaming with a dangerous light.

"Live a little, River. I'd go, but, well, unless I get a fake ID in the next three hours, well. Besides, it's not like you don't know how to drink."

River groaned, glancing around at his friends' faces. Seeing nothing but amusement, he sighed, shaking his head again, but this time in defeat.

"Oh come on, Riv," Jun said, standing up from his seat to throw his finished drink into the trash and beckoning to Sofia and River to follow. "What's the worst that could happen?"


	4. Chapter Four

_**Note**_

 _I have decided to publish twice today, mostly due to the fact that the previous chapter was much of an interlude and yes, important to the events that will occur, but not particularly riveting. I have several chapter pre-written, and how they are received will determine for me whether or not I will continue with this work._

 _From this point on, there will be explicitly sexual scenes within this work, including within this chapter. This chapter, however, does not contain any penetrative sex. If this is something that offends you, you are not obliged to stay._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River ran a hand through his hair, frowning in confusion when his fingers didn't bump into a plastic frame, until he realized a split second later that he was wearing his contacts.

"Stop doing that," Jun said, craning his neck to see how many people were still in line in front of them to enter _Aspect_.

"Doing what?"

" _That_." Jun gestured to River's hands, and where he was pulling at the sleeves of the black bomber jacket Jun had lent him. "I know I'm taller than you, but we've already established that I'm a fucking beanpole. My jacket fits you perfectly fine."

River shoved his hands into the pockets of the jacket, but his nervous energy only manifested himself in the tapping of his foot against the ground. Jun looked down and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it a moment later and just shook his head. "Jesus, Riv. I've only ever seen you this bad before finals. And I've known you for nearly four years and shared a room with you for half that time."

"I'm pretty sure you read him wrong," River said, playing with the plastic edge of his ID.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't," Jun countered. "You're just irrationally terrified of the guy."

"Not irrational," River muttered, but didn't argue with Jun's point – he was right, after all. River was still reeling from the events of earlier that day. All three of his friends had insisted that he go – and River had eventually caved when Jun gathered a boatload of his friends that apparently wanted to check out _Aspect_ as well, and casually invited him to come along. Now, he and Jun were standing in the middle of a rowdy group of seniors and grad students from Dalton.

"If it makes you feel better, you look great," Jun said. "If I were into guys, I'd probably want to fuck you."

"Thanks, I think," River said dryly. Jun grinned at him, and River's deliberately unimpressed expression melted into laughter.

"You should have done something with your hair, though," Jun said, looking critically at River's usual fringe.

"What, like dye it green?"

"That was years ago," Jun sniffed, reaching up a hand to pat down his styled and recently-dyed brown hair. "And my girlfriend liked it at the time."

"Sometimes, I wonder why _gay_ men are the ones that are supposed to care so much about their appearance, when I've never met anyone that takes longer in the bathroom in the morning doing their damn hair than you."

Jun rolled his eyes, elbowing River good-naturedly. Their conversation had been overheard by one of Jun's friends, who took up River's job of teasing Jun for him, which left River to go back to tugging anxiously on his sleeves.

The bouncer eyed them all with a raised eyebrow when they approached the entrance. River didn't blame him – most of them were barely of age, and quite a few of them didn't quite look it yet, including himself. Not that Jun seemed particularly mature, but his sense of self-assured confidence was enough to make the bouncer level his glare elsewhere.

They got in without much difficulty. The bouncer's skepticism faded to exasperation after going through five of their IDs and recognizing that they were all of age, if only barely.

"What do you even _do_ at a club?" River asked Jun, once they'd gotten in. They were immediately assaulted by a tidal wave of sound – laughter, a pounding beat and a low, throbbing bassline.

"Let's go get something to drink," Jun suggested. The place was packed, but Jun somehow managed to slip his way through the crowd to the bar, and River simply followed in his wake. Jun managed to snatch a recently vacated stool, gesturing River over to the one beside him. "Lime daiquiri," he informed the bartender, before turning to River, who just shrugged.

"Stop looking at me like that," he said to Jun.

"Tell me you've had alcohol before."

"You've seen me drink, Jun. I just –" he gestured vaguely at the club. "I don't go _out_ to drink."

Jun rolled his eyes. "You _have_ to –"

"Yeah, I have to get out more, I know," River grumbled. "Got it. Just – same as him?" He told the bartender uncertainly, who seemed perfectly reasonably annoyed with the delay.

After a few drinks, River was feeling much more pleasantly relaxed. The rest of the people they had come with had dispersed around the club, so River was very appreciative of the fact that Jun remained by his side.

"How are you not drunk?" Jun demanded of River, who was on his fourth drink.

"I kind of am," River admitted. His limbs felt looser, and his thoughts were less taut and tensed as well. Everything seemed brighter, friendlier, and there didn't seem to be very much of a rationalizing process for his actions. "But I told you already, no one enforces the drinking law where I'm from."

Jun knocked back the rest of his drink, setting his empty glass down on the counter. "You're just going to embarrass me if we stay at the bar. Come on."

"What?" River set aside his glass, too, slipping off his stool to follow Jun. "Not my fault you can't hold your liquor, I – Jun, I am _not_ dancing."

"It's not _that_ bad, Riv. Just move your body to the beat. Everyone here's at least some degree of drunk. No one _cares_ how you dance."

"It's awkward," River protested, but Jun was already off with one of the girls that had come along with them, his hands low on her waist.

"Well, kitten. I didn't think you'd actually come."

River whirled around as best he could, nearly elbowing several of the people around him. Nakano was smirking at him, his head tipped to one side as he looked River up and down. River swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, when he realized that Nakano had abandoned his formal suits and was currently wearing a thin, plain t-shirt with a leather jacket thrown over top and jeans so tight that River had to wonder how he could get out of them – but that thought sent his mind spiralling into another direction entirely. If it weren't for the alcohol and the environment that he was in, he might have blushed.

"You look hot," River stated. Nakano shot an amused glance at him.

"I know, but thank you," Nakano replied. "You drunk, kitten?"

"Maybe a little," River said, shrugging. Another thought presented itself in his mind, and he asked the question before he could even think of thinking it through. "Why do you always call me that?"

"What?" Nakano seemed taken aback by the sudden change in subject, but no less entertained by it.

"Kitten," River elaborated. "Why not my name?"

"Well, you see, you never actually got around to telling me your name."

Even through his alcohol-induced confidence, River managed to feel the slightest embarrassment. "Oh. It's River, River Lu."

"Unusual name," Nakano commented. "River," he said slowly, apparently testing it out. "I don't know, I think I prefer 'kitten'."

"I think I do, too," River said. Nakano's grin widened.

"You're much more confident now," Nakano said. "What brought this on?"

"I'm always like this," River defended himself. "Well, not always," he said. "It might be something to do with the alcohol. I'm not good with, with first impressions. And you're just – at your office, it's weird, because it's, you know, _your_ place. We're equals here, sort of."

"Oh? What happened to not being intimidated by me?"

"I'm _not_ ," River said vehemently, and Nakano laughed – an unrestrained sound that managed to be heard even above the music.

"Prove it," Nakano suggested. "Dance with me."

It could have been the alcohol, or the way Nakano's voice lowered to make the innocent words something utterly filthy, or River's compelling attraction to Nakano. Either way, despite what River had told Jun minutes ago, seconds later, one of Nakano's arms was gripping his waist as he swayed his hips in an utterly alluring and indecent way, looking down at him with hooded eyes.

"This all right?" Nakano asked, dipping his head down to speak in River's ear. River shivered, and struck by a sudden boldness, pressed up tighter against Nakano.

Nakano seemed to freeze up in surprise for a split second, before he removed his other hand from River's shoulder and rested it on the small of River's back, pulling him closer. River's eyes widened in surprise when Nakano's hand crept lower down his body, sliding past his waist to rest teasingly on his hip, just above the curve of his ass.

"More than all right," River breathed. He glanced around at the other dancing pairs – Jun and his friend being one of them – and imitated them, rolling his hips experimentally against Nakano's. There was a small sound of surprise from Nakano, whose face was now flushed with something that River doubted was tipsiness. "Who's intimidated now?"

"Impressive." Nakano pulled River in closer and placed two fingers by the bottom of his chin, tipping his head upwards. River's breath caught in his throat as he stared up into Nakano's dark eyes. The deafening music in the club seemed to fade away until all he could hear was Nakano. "May I?" He murmured, his lips brushing over River's as he spoke.

River responded by leaning up on his toes and pressing his lips against Nakano's. For a moment, Nakano seemed so taken aback that he didn't respond, and River hastily started to pull back. To his surprise – and satisfaction – Nakano tightened his grip on him and dipped his body down so that he was all but carrying him. Nakano nipped at his bottom lip, and when River's lips parted on instinct, he slipped his tongue in River's mouth.

The hot insistency of the kiss sent tremors up River's spine. Nakano kissed the way he talked – bold and teasing, unrelenting as he kissed River roughly. _Take the lead_ , River thought eagerly, allowing Nakano to take advantage of the angle and gasping when he delved deeper. _I'll follow_. Desire pooled hot in his stomach, and his pants were growing uncomfortably tight. He reached up to knot his hands through Nakano's long hair and felt a surge of satisfaction when Nakano groaned and kissed him still more urgently, their mouths sliding past each other as they both panted for breath.

Nakano shifted without breaking contact, slipping his leg between River's, and River made an embarrassing noise in the back of his throat at the friction of Nakano's thigh between his legs. Nakano could no doubt feel all too well the growing bulge in River's jeans.

Nakano tugged at the hem of River's shirt, and River nodded, not caring that they were on the dance floor of a nightclub – Jun was right, nobody was emotionally invested in the two of them enough to really pay attention, anyway – and focused only on the hot, desperate need coursing through his body, his insatiable desire to be closer, to feel Nakano's skin on his own. _It's been too long since I got laid_ , River thought briefly, but then Nakano's hand was sliding up his shirt, and he stopped thinking about anything except for cool skin on his flushed chest. Nakano's fingers brushed against his nipple and tore a whine from his throat, shuddering with the jolt of pleasure.

Nakano pulled away abruptly. River, not expecting the sudden withdrawal, chased his lips desperately. Nakano looked down at him, and River was pleased to see that his sleek hair was ruffled and that his lips were red and swollen. He looked almost as much of a mess as River felt.

"I can help you with that, you know," Nakano suggested, his voice lower and rougher than River had ever heard it. "Bathroom?"

River nodded again, certain that if he spoke, his voice would be nothing but a high-pitched, cracking squeak. He let Nakano lead him past the other dancers, his mind whirling in a sort of disbelieving haze. He thought he might have seen Jun's surprised expression somewhere in the crowd, but couldn't be sure.

The bathroom was dimly lit with a faint purple glow, and surprisingly clean and empty for it being so late in the night – it had already been past nine when River and Jun had arrived at the club. He followed Nakano into one of the stalls, where Nakano immediately shut the door and proceeded to push River up against the wall, kissing him again.

"That's a bit of a problem you've got there," he whispered between kisses, and River's head fell back in pleasure as Nakano pressed his palm against the crotch of River's pants.

"Oh _fuck_ ," River swore, trembling with the effort of keeping his hips still as Nakano palmed at the bulge in his pants. "Please, Naka – Mr. Nakano –"

Nakano laughed, looking unfairly, stupidly unfazed even as River was reduced to a shivering mess beneath him. "I'm about to jerk you off, kitten. I think you can call me Kiyoshi."

"I – _Kiyoshi_ ," River gasped as Nakano drew his hand back teasingly. "Kiyoshi," he repeated, and was rewarded as Nakano – Kiyoshi's – eyes darkened with lust. " _Please_."

Kiyoshi smirked. River was certain that he looked like an embarrassingly desperate mess, but he had come too far to care. Kiyoshi took his time unzipping River's jeans, pinning River's hands back when River, frustrated with his agonizingly slow process, tried to push his jeans down himself. Kiyoshi seemed to get the message, though, and sped up his pace.

"Well then, kitten," Kiyoshi said, once he had finally pulled down River's boxer briefs, exposing his achingly hard cock. "Your charming personality isn't the only thing you've been holding out on me." He gave River's cock an experimental stroke, grinning when River's breath hitched in his throat.

Kiyoshi reached into the pocket of his jeans and fished out a small packet – with some difficulty, River noted with the small part of his brain that was still coherent. He ripped it open in one practiced movement, drizzling lube over his hand. He paused before continuing, tipping his head to one side.

"You sure you're sober enough for this?"

"I can hold my liquor," River snapped back, mildly offended both at Kiyoshi's implication and the fact that his cock was being very much neglected, precome already beading at the tip. Kiyoshi laughed, a low, breathy sound, and leaned forwards to kiss River again.

Kiyoshi stroked River's cock, drawing his fingers in agonizingly practiced movements. When River squirmed impatiently, Kiyoshi used his other hand to pin River's hips against the wall, never breaking his rhythm. He squeezed harder with every stroke, flicking his wrist as he neared the head of River's cock and making River's breath quicken.

" _Fuck_ ," River repeated weakly, as Kiyoshi took his hand off of River's hip to cup his balls.

"Filthy mouth you've got there, kitten," Kiyoshi commented. River nearly screamed in frustration at the fact that Kiyoshi looked so utterly composed, even cramped in the tiny nightclub bathroom stall with his body swiveled at the hips to avoid the toilet, getting River closer and closer to climax with each hurried stroke.

River's hips bucked involuntarily into Kiyoshi's hand. He forced himself to stay still immediately afterwards, flushing, with his hands flat against the wall in an effort to brace himself against the cold tile. Kiyoshi didn't seem to mind though, his eyes only glinting with something that looked like intrigue. He sped up his already fast pace, running his thumb over the sensitive spot behind the head of River's cock and coaxing a strangled gasp from him.

River froze when he heard the bathroom door open, his heart pounding in his chest. Someone – no, several people, rowdy and laughing, stumbled in. Kiyoshi, however, seemed completely undaunted by the fact that the only thing separating them from utter strangers was the door of a bathroom stall, and kissed River again with an intensity that was blisteringly hot. He grinned against River's mouth when he couldn't stop the noises that escaped from his throat, using the hand that wasn't wrapped around River's cock to push his shirt up and flatten his palm against River's back. River gasped when Kiyoshi's nails dug into his skin, letting out a barely-suppressed groan. Kiyoshi's eyes glittered with interest.

"Like it rough, kitten?" Before River could reply, Kiyoshi bit down on his lip, almost hard enough for River to taste blood, still working his hand up and down the length of River's cock. An electric shock of overwhelming sensations tore through River – the sharp pain of the bite, the glorious warmth of Kiyoshi's hand, Kiyoshi's lean body pressed up against his – and he came with a shuddering cry. His knees buckled and gave way beneath him, and if it weren't for Kiyoshi catching him, he would have collapsed to the floor and hit his head on the toilet seat.

When his mind had finally achieved the return of some semblance of coherency, he blushed upon realizing the sight he must have been – his legs bare, his shirt rumpled and his lips red and swollen. The people who had been in the bathroom earlier seemed to have gone, but despite River's best efforts, he hadn't exactly been quiet, and there they had probably heard _something_. He hurriedly pulled his underwear up, buttoning his jeans to try and salvage some dignity, noticing with a cringe that white streaks were splattered across the floor and the stall.

"Enjoyed yourself?" Kiyoshi asked, straightening up from his half-kneeling position on the floor. River hummed his agreement, looking up at Kiyoshi – so utterly dignified and untouchable, even in the cramped, dimly lit bathroom stall. From River's vantage point on the ground, however, he could see the outline of Kiyoshi's erection through his ridiculously tight pants, and realized that Kiyoshi wasn't quite as unaffected as he seemed to appear.

River made his mind up on the spur of the moment. He fumbled with the zip of Kiyoshi's pants with shaky, clumsy fingers, staying in his kneeling position on the floor.

He heard Kiyoshi's breath stutter for just the smallest of moments, and when he spoke again, his drawling voice was just the slightest bit coarser. "What's this?"

"I'm returning the favour." River paused, glancing up at Kiyoshi's face. "Unless you don't want me to?"

"Oh, fuck," Kiyoshi muttered, his breathing roughening. " _Yes_ , I want you to."

He let River tug down his pants – with some difficulty – and pull down his underwear. Kiyoshi was already hard, almost painfully so, from the looks of it, meaning that it wouldn't take too long to get him off. River paused for a second, looking up at Kiyoshi and back down.

"Get on with it," Kiyoshi growled, and River started, automatically moving to obey. He wrapped his fingers around Kiyoshi's cock – wider than his, but similar enough that he fell into a familiar rhythm. A glance upwards told him that Kiyoshi was enjoying what he was doing – his eyes were closed and his head was tilted back, resting against the divide between two stalls with his lips slightly parted – but it wasn't enough.

"You don't seem to be appreciating this very much," River commented. Kiyoshi opened his eyes, looking down at River with a vague sort of condescending interest.

"Well, we can't all lose control so easily," he said, entirely too lightly for a man being jerked off in a bathroom stall.

River took it as a challenge. He hesitated for only a split second, sucking at the spot on his lip where Kiyoshi had bitten him, before pressing his tongue against the slit of Kiyoshi's cock, tasting the slick precome. Kiyoshi jerked backwards, his elbow banging against the wall of the bathroom stall. River sat back on his heels, determined to see Kiyoshi's reaction.

"You – _fuck_ ," Kiyoshi repeated. "You just –"

Kiyoshi seemed as lost for words as River had been moments ago, and the thought filled River with a fierce satisfaction. He ran his tongue over his lips, getting accustomed to the salty taste. He held Kiyoshi's cock loosely in one hand, dipping his head back down to lick a long stripe up his length. He let a drop of precome coat his lips and glanced up at Kiyoshi as he flicked his tongue out and slowly licked it off, contemplating the taste.

"Stop teasing."

Kiyoshi's cock was now all but leaking with precome, and Kiyoshi himself had his head tilted back, his chest rising and falling with quickening breaths. River obeyed, taking as much of Kiyoshi into his mouth as he could. He didn't get far before he gagged, coughing in a deeply unsexy way. He persisted with streaming eyes, wincing when he felt the head of Kiyoshi's cock at the back of his throat. It was wholly unpleasant, not least because River hadn't sucked anyone off in months. He gave himself a few seconds to adjust, breathing in through his nose, noting resignedly that his jaw was already beginning to ache.

He gave an experimental suck, making a sound of surprise when Kiyoshi swore under his breath and fisted his hand in River's hair. He swirled his tongue around the tip, laughing breathlessly when Kiyoshi tugged insistently at his hair and swallowed him down again. The hand that he wasn't using to brace himself up on the floor found its way to the base of Kiyoshi's cock, working at the length River couldn't reach.

River let out a low whine when Kiyoshi pulled at his hair again, his eyes red-rimmed and tearing up from both the pain and as a side effect of his gag reflex. He glanced up to meet Kiyoshi's eyes – dark and shadowed, in a flushed face.

Kiyoshi's hips jerked upwards as he came in River's mouth with a stream of curses. River, not expecting the suddenness, coughed and spluttered, wrinkling his nose at the taste. He swallowed hastily and brushed a hand over his mouth.

"You're not bad with that mouth of yours," Kiyoshi commented, his casual tone undermined by his heavy breathing and the wide-blown pupils of his dark eyes. He buttoned his pants back up, pushing himself upright from where he had been leaning against the stall. River, too, rose to his feet, acutely aware of the fact that they were both pressed up incredibly close in the cramped stall – feeling awkward despite the fact that he had had his mouth on Kiyoshi's cock only a few seconds ago.

Kiyoshi surprised him by pulling him forwards by his belt loops so that he stumbled forwards to land heavily against him. Kiyoshi kissed him again – a blisteringly hot kiss, forcing his tongue down River's mouth as if searching for his own taste.

It was over as suddenly as it had begun. River lurched forwards, unbalanced, when Kiyoshi pulled back, nearly colliding with the stall wall and stepping on Kiyoshi's toes in an attempt to stay on his feet. He shuffled backwards as much as their close confines would allow, his face flushed.

"Well then," Kiyoshi said, either polite enough or indifferent enough to ignore this. "I really don't think I'll be seeing you around much, but, well…I might keep an eye out for you, kitten."

With that, he sidestepped around River, flicked the lock open on the stall door, and walked away without looking back.


	5. Chapter Five

_**Note**_

 _There is nothing at all explicit in this chapter, but there are mentions of the previous chapter's events. Speaking of which, it was entertaining to see that there were people that stopped following this after I posted it. I can assure you that there will not only be more of those types of scenes in the future, there will also be scenes much more extreme in nature. This is, after all, a BDSM erotica._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River tapped his fingers impatiently against the wall he was leaning up against, blunt fingernails _click-clacking_ against the hard surface. He stopped after only a few seconds, casting a guilty glance through the door's pane at the students listening to the lecture inside. He was already regretting agreeing to meet Jun and Kacey after their class – it seemed to be dragging on forever.

He reached into his pocket and tapped his phone to life, blushing furiously when the page that loaded was one of a news article on Kiyoshi Nakano. He'd forgotten that that was what he had been doing in class instead of listening. River cast a furtive glance around and closed the tab quickly, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

River wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel more or less impacted by the fact that he had hooked up with one of the country's most successful businessmen. Nothing was different, really – not that he'd been expecting to suck Kiyoshi off in a bathroom stall, but he'd had hookups before. Kiyoshi hadn't really been much different; a dick was a dick, no matter how nicely the person they were attached to was dressed (though it did come as a mild surprise when he re-evaluated the hookup with an entirely sober mind and came to the realization that Kiyoshi had been wearing silk boxer briefs).

There were the occasional moments when he would come to an abrupt stop and stand, slightly astounded and disbelieving, and wondering if he had perhaps dreamed the entire thing after becoming much drunker than he had originally thought, but they had been happening less and less as the week passed. He hadn't woken up with much of a headache the night afterwards, though, and he distinctly remembered Jun yelling at him and tugging him out of _Aspect_ when he emerged from the bathroom in a bit of a daze.

Jun was considerate enough not to mention the fact that River had stumbled from the bathroom with rumpled clothes and swollen, bitten lips. It was possible that he had been too drunk to notice, but River doubted it. For all his teasing that Jun was a lightweight, he knew how much he could handle. Both Kacey and Sofia had watched him over the past week, rubbing the still somewhat tender spot on his lip – Kacey curiously, and Sofia with a glint in her eye – but all four of them had established last year that none of them were obligated to share anything non-life-threatening with the others. In any case, he was fairly certain that they'd guessed already.

River started when there was a burst of noise from behind the door, muffled clapping and the professor's voice, straining to be heard above the clamour. He stumbled backwards when the door opened, expecting a flood of half zoned-out students. Instead, what met River's gaze was a sharply creased, finely cut dark grey suit and sleek long hair tied back from a now-familiar face.

 _What the fuck_ , River thought blankly.

Kiyoshi murmured an apology, apparently distracted enough not to notice River, who wasn't sure whether he wanted Kiyoshi to or not. Kiyoshi stopped abruptly, turning to see River, who was still pressed up against the wall where he had flattened himself in order to avoid getting hit by Kiyoshi in a moment of carelessness. He was suddenly all too aware of how similar his position was to the events of last Friday night, and judging by the way the surprise in Kiyoshi's eyes faded to a dark sort of amusement, Kiyoshi had made the connection as well.

"River," he said. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I'm a student here," River said, belatedly realizing how curt that had sounded. Kiyoshi didn't seem to mind; he laughed quietly, turning to face River.

"I like you better when you speak in coherent sentences," Kiyoshi said. "Then again, teasing you was fun. You blush pretty, kitten."

It took all of River's willpower to keep a straight face, but try as he might, he couldn't stop a hot flush from creeping up his neck. Kiyoshi only grinned wider with that crooked half-smirk.

"I'm waiting on my friends," River replied, when he was certain he could keep himself from stuttering like a hormonal idiot. "They're in this class."

"Not Miss Castillo?" Kiyoshi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, no," River said, surprised that Kiyoshi had even bothered to remember that Sofia was one of his friends. "She's a journalism major – but you probably guessed that, since she's an intern at _Dalton Daily_ and, um. Our two other roommates are business majors."

"Oh, that's right," Kiyoshi said, surprising River. "Kacey, and the other one."

River was torn between laughing at the idea of Jun finding out that Kiyoshi had referred to him simply as _the other one_ , and being mildly put-out that he knew Kacey's name. He said as much, to which Kiyoshi only waved a careless hand.

"She makes my drink at least twice a week. And she has a nametag." He paused, glancing at River with an interested gleam in his eyes. "Jealous, kitten?"

River spluttered something incoherent. The amusement in Kiyoshi's eyes lingered, quickly replaced by something darker and deeply suggestive. He leaned over, resting one hand on the wall by River's hip, just barely brushing the material of River's clothes. His proximity was enough to make River shiver and his eyes widen.

"I had fun last week," he murmured, his voice dropping down an octave and his breath warm against River's skin. "I'll be at _Aspect_ again tonight at eleven. Can I expect to see you there?"

River stared at him, the ability to speak momentarily deserting him. "Do you do this often?" He blurted out, briefly registering the blunt rudeness of the question, but deciding that the answer was more important than whether or not Kiyoshi would be put out by the question.

"Do what?" Kiyoshi asked, tilting his head to the side and grinning.

River was determined not to be distracted or dissuaded. It was less overwhelming, talking to Kiyoshi in the badly-lit fluorescent hallways of Dalton University, instead of meeting him in his office, of _his company_. The fact that Kiyoshi had had had his dick in River's mouth may have played a factor as well.

"Flirt with college seniors after hooking up with them in a club bathroom," River said, internally hoping that he hadn't read the situation wrong and that Kiyoshi _had_ been flirting with him. Then again, it was a little hard to misinterpret his actions, with how bold he was.

Kiyoshi laughed, low and quiet. "Only the cute ones." He paused for a moment, a contemplative look creeping across his face. "And the ones with mouths as talented as yours."

River was saved from having to fumble his way through a response despite the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling by the sound of a sudden flurry of movements and voices from behind the door.

"That would be my cue to leave. Fuck knows I don't want to be caught in that stampede," Kiyoshi muttered, drawing away from River who felt the loss of the warm presence of his body with an acute awareness. "See you tonight, kitten?"

"I – yeah. Yeah, I'll be there," River said hurriedly. His heart thumped unevenly in his chest when Kiyoshi grinned, winking at him before turning on his heel and walking swiftly down the hall.

"How long have you been here?" Came Kacey's voice. River jerked back to the present, trying to convince himself that he hadn't been remembering Kiyoshi's mouth on his bare skin.

"At three. When you guys told me to be here," River accused. "So, for half an hour."

"Sorry about that," Kacey said, at the same time Jun shrugged and said "not our fault."

"It wouldn't kill you not to be an asshole all the time, you know," Kacey said to Jun.

"It _wasn't_ our fault, though. Johnson is literally the most stupidly incompetent professor at Dalton. At least Nakano was interesting enough."

"He's a good speaker," Kacey agreed. "A little problematic. Wasn't expecting him to curse so much. Think he nearly gave Johnson an aneurysm."

"The most entertaining lecture we've had this year by far," Jun commented. He glanced around them, at the students who were gradually trickling away to leave them in the now mostly-empty hallway. "Thought we were getting 'Fia a gift for her birthday? Come on, let's get on it. I need to get started on like, three different essays due on Thursday."

"We all know you're not going to start them until Wednesday anyway, I don't know why you bother trying to lie," River pointed out. "But yeah, let's go."

"So, you must've bumped into Nakano on his way out," Jun said, as they made their way down the quad.

"I nearly got hit by him opening the door, yeah."

"Awkward conversation?"

River shrugged. "Not really? Well, maybe on my part. You know me."

Jun's only response was to let out an undignified snort. Kacey raised her eyebrows, looking at Jun chidingly. "Oh, come on. River's not that bad."

"Need I remind you of the first time we met?"

"Please don't," River said, slightly despairingly. "That was in freshman year, Jun. I thought we were over that."

"Oh, I've forgiven you. It's still funny as hell, though."

"I _know_ how you two met; I've lived with you two for over a year. Besides, Jun tells that story every single time River comes up in conversation."

"You are the _worst_ ," River informed Jun, who only laughed.

River assumed that that would have been the end of their discussion about Kiyoshi, because both Jun and Kacey dropped the subject in favour of chatting about eccentric customers at Kacey's new job. They eventually ended up in what River could only describe as one of the geekiest stores he'd ever set foot in, a small, warmly-lit place tucked away in a niche between a bookstore and a coffee shop, and entirely full of various sorts of merchandise. Kacey let out a small squeak of excitement at the sight of what River knew to be characters from her favourite movies, as Jun stared at the rows of brightly-coloured shelves around neighbouring bookstore.

"Oh _fuck_ ," Jun said in delight. "Okay, I'm going to find her the stupidest, shittiest romance novel in this place. She'll hate it."

"We're supposed to be getting her a birthday gift?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you and Kace will get her something meaningful and shit. Thing is, this'll be a symbol of our friendship. Unreasonable, ridiculous, and with far too many blatantly obvious innuendos."

"Well, you're not wrong," River muttered, as Jun disappeared among the shelves.

River trailed after Kacey as she slipped in and out of the displays in transports of delight.

"Everything here is so cool," she enthused. "Sofia's a huge fan of _Studio Ghibli_ , right?"

"Expensive, though," River commented, repressing a shudder when he happened to glance at a nearby price tag.

"Yeah," Kacey said, frowning. "Well, between the four of us, rent's not that bad. I think I can splurge on something for Sofia. I'd buy the whole store if I could, though," she said wistfully. "Speaking of having a lot of money, though, what's with you and Nakano?"

"That was possibly the least subtle transition I have ever heard."

"Oh, hush," Kacey waved a hand dismissively, turning to face him. "It wasn't that bad. Anyway, you're avoiding the question."

"I'm not?" River shrugged. "There's not much to say, really. We, um," he glanced around. He wasn't particularly shy about sexual exploits, least of all when he was with his friends, but they were in public. And perhaps it wouldn't be the best thing if someone happened to overhear him discussing a one night stand with the CEO of Nakano Enterprises. Seeing no one within earshot, he plowed onwards. "We hooked up in the club bathroom. We didn't even fuck. I think he's a regular at _Aspect_ , he probably does this often."

"And that doesn't bother you at all?"

"No? It's not like I expected someone like him to want to be in a committed relationship. Especially with a broke university student. And I'm not sure I'd even want to be in a relationship with, um, someone like him."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. But yeah, I see your point," Kacey agreed. "Must've been awkward then, running into him today?"

"Oh. Well, um, about that." River paused, refusing to feel any sense of self-consciousness or embarrassment. "He sort of invited me back to the club tonight."

Kacey raised her eyebrows in appreciation. "Nice. You've managed to charm possibly the richest man in the country."

"Well, it might have been less to do with my charm and more with my experience giving head, but thanks, I think."

"Either way, congratulations. Was he any good?"

"Uh, yeah, he was good. It was a little weird, but it's hard to make anything sexy in a bathroom stall, you know?"

"I wouldn't, actually, but I can imagine, yeah."

There was a moment of silence, in which Kacey turned around and studied the row of plush animals in front of her, tapping on her chin thoughtfully with one finger. "Hey, River?"

"Yeah?"

"If he steps out of line, kick him in the dick."

"Kacey."

"Fine. Get the heck out of there, then tell me, and I'll kick him in the dick. Or, you know, I'll get 'Fia to do it."

" _Kacey_ ," River repeated, half-laughing despite himself. Sofia was rubbing off on her. "It's good. He's kind of an asshole, but he has, you know, basic human decency. He didn't do anything that I didn't agree to."

"Well, that's good," Kacey agreed. "My offer still stands, though, just don't forget about it when you're having fun tonight. You're going, right?"

River considered it for a split second, realizing that he had already come to a decision unconsciously long before now. "Yeah, I'm going. Can't hurt, right?"

"Whatever you decide," Kacey shrugged. "Hope you have a good time. Get laid, if that's what you want. Now help me decide: you think Sofia would like a Totoro plush or a Jiji plush more?"


	6. Chapter Six

_**Note**_

 _My apologies for the wait. I'm currently not in my home country (Canada, for those of you that haven't gone to check my admittedly empty profile), and I haven't had access to the Internet for a while. Thank you to everyone who's been following and reviewing so far._

 _This chapter, and the next two, will consist almost entirely of sex._ _That is approximately 10k words of written porn. Am I ashamed? Not exactly. I didn't know I had it in me, though. Once again, this_ is _an erotica._ _There is, however, no penetrative sex in this chapter, and no explicit BDSM, though there are some suggestions of future scenes._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

This time, the bartender was different – a fairly young woman with blue streaks in her long hair and multiple metal rings around her fingers that clinked musically against the glasses as she deftly mixed River a drink. He murmured his thanks, sipping absently at the drink while casting his gaze around the club. He wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as he thought he might be – even though he was alone, this time, having not told anyone but Kacey that he was even coming, there was a certain sort of invisibility to a university student sitting quietly by the bar.

"Well, don't you look tempting."

River was proud of himself for not starting at Kiyoshi's voice. Kiyoshi leaned back against the bar next to him, flashing him a brief smirk. His hair was styled differently today, gathered at the back and slicked at the sides, giving him an attractively windswept look. He had forgone his suit jacket and vest, wearing only black slacks that clung to his hips and thighs, and a pale blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show tanned, smooth skin. Somehow, it only served to make him seem more casually arrogant. River kind of hated how much he was attracted to it.

"Thanks," River replied, for lack of anything better to say. "I could say the same for you."

Kiyoshi acknowledged the compliment with another quick grin, drumming his fingers against the counter. "I _do_ like you better like this," he mused.

"Um," River gulped, searching for a change of subject. "Uh, are you going to, um, have a drink? Can I buy one for you?"

Kiyoshi laughed, his dark eyes glittering with humour. "I have more than enough money to buy my own drinks, but I appreciate the sentiment, kitten." River's mouth went dry at the last word, when Nakano's voice dropped an octave and he all but purred the endearment. "I was hoping that we could take this somewhere more…private, actually."

"Private? As in –"

"As in, I've been thinking about fucking you since I saw that tight little ass of yours, and I'd rather not do it in a bathroom stall. Not that it wasn't enjoyable the first time."

River nearly choked. He stared fixedly down into his drink, his face hot – he'd kind of expected it, but something more along the lines of last week's hookup, and he hadn't expected Kiyoshi to be quite so straightforward and quick about the whole thing. When he raised his gaze back up, he saw that Kiyoshi was waiting expectantly for a response.

"I – yeah. Yes," River repeated. "I'm – I'd like that."

Kiyoshi's grin widened and stayed on his face this time. He reached over and cupped River's burning cheek, watching the way River's lips parted almost involuntarily. "That was quick. You been thinking about me, too?"

"I'd be lying if I said no," River admitted. That seemed to please Kiyoshi inordinately.

"Come on, then. Let's get the hell out of here."

River followed Kiyoshi's lead, still a little dazed by how quickly things seemed to be moving. Kiyoshi quickly waved down a cab and gestured River in first, holding open the door for him, before sliding in himself.

"The apartments on Raiden Street," Kiyoshi informed the driver, who grunted in response. "Can we have the divide up?"

That earned a slightly more annoyed grumble from the driver, but he complied, so that the plastic screen separated Kiyoshi and River from the front of the cab.

"What…what's this for?" River asked. Kiyoshi reached out to run his hand across River's cheek again, smirking when River's face flamed under his touch.

"I don't really need him hearing this." Kiyoshi's eyes flicked down to River's mouth. "Can I kiss you, kitten?"

River nodded, his eyes wide as Kiyoshi tugged him closer, wrapping an arm around his waist and the other still cool on his face.

It started off slow, but there was nothing sweet or gentle about it. Kiyoshi seemed to be taking his sweet time, moving his lips languidly against River's, slowly, slowly nudging his lips apart. The hand that wasn't holding River's head steady was now resting on his thigh, rubbing circles into his skin and edging nearer to his crotch.

River let out an involuntary gasp. His hands had been folded in his lap, but now he reached up to pull Kiyoshi closer to him, pressing their bodies together, feeling the hard outline of Kiyoshi's toned body. He sought to remember back to the last week and pressed himself up against Kiyoshi, feeling a glimmer of satisfaction when Kiyoshi let out a groan into the kiss, his breathing growing heavier.

Kiyoshi kissed him more fiercely now, all but pinning him against the car door. River jolted when his back met the hard surface, the window cold against the back of his head, and Kiyoshi pulled back immediately, his hands lingering cautiously on River's body. But when River nodded for him to continue, he lunged forwards again with a new intensity that had both of them dizzy and gasping. River closed his eyes, letting out a breathless cry as Kiyoshi nipped at his bottom lip, twisting to try and fit his body to Kiyoshi's in the awkward, cramped little space.

Kiyoshi pulled back suddenly for the second time. River was about to protest, but noticed that they had come to a stop off one of the largest roads in the city. Towering apartments soared above them, stretching on, it seemed to River, almost endlessly.

Kiyoshi reached across River to push open the car door for him, before following him out himself. He thanked the driver quickly, handing over a few bills folded neatly together.

"Come on," Kiyoshi said again, wrapping his arm around River's waist and guiding him into the apartment.

The receptionist clearly knew Kiyoshi. She smiled amiably at him, her smile faltering when she saw River at Kiyoshi's side, but didn't comment on it or seem particularly surprised. River had expected as much, really. They made their way over to the elevators, one of them arriving remarkably quickly.

"So eager," Kiyoshi almost purred when River stood up on his toes to seek out another kiss. "You have no idea, kitten, how much self-control it took not to fuck you right there in that shitty cab."

The actual prospect of it probably should have made River cringe in embarrassment, but instead, his breath quickened. They hadn't done anything but make out, and he was already semi-hard. Kiyoshi didn't help matters, one hand firm on River's ass and the other roaming underneath his shirt, rough and insistent as he kissed him over and over again.

They stumbled out onto the penthouse floor, neither of them willing to take their hands off of each other for an instant.

"Easy there, kitten," Kiyoshi laughed, fumbling in his pocket and unlocking the door with a key card. He kicked the door open, leading River in with him.

It was brighter than River thought it would be, in Kiyoshi's apartment. The city lights still streamed in from the enormous windows, illuminating the place in a pale, ghostly sheen. They didn't stay long in the living room, though – Kiyoshi slammed the door shut behind them and tugged the security chain into place and pulled River immediately into a bedroom. It had the same lofty windows that Kiyoshi seemed to be partial about, with the curtains still undrawn so that the lights of Dalton's metropolis filtered into the room.

"You are wearing _far_ too many fucking clothes," Kiyoshi growled. It was easy enough for River to shrug off his jacket with their lips still pressed together, but they had to break apart for River to pull his shirt over the top of his head, ruffling his hair into odd spikes. River's fingers felt far too clumsy as he fumbled with the buttons of Kiyoshi's shirt, eventually managing to slip the sheer material off of him to reveal a toned chest and hard, flat stomach.

"Help me get them off, then," River retorted. He let out a yelp of shock as Kiyoshi swung him up, one arm under his knees and the other around his shoulders, depositing him bodily onto Kiyoshi's enormous bed. Kiyoshi undid the button of his jeans quickly and jerked them off River's legs, tossing them aside. Before River had even quite processed the fact that Kiyoshi was apparently strong enough to carry River – and while River wasn't particularly tall, he wasn't exactly small and skinny, either – Kiyoshi had already tugged his boxer briefs down so that River was completely naked.

"Such a pretty kitten," Kiyoshi crooned, caressing hot trails across River's skin with his mouth. River shivered, trying to repress the sounds building up in his throat as Kiyoshi sucked lightly on the skin on his hip.

"Stop – stop teasing," River gasped, tugging at the loops of Kiyoshi's pants (the belt had been lost somewhere in the living room), unable to repress a whine when Kiyoshi silenced him with another kiss.

"So eager. Maybe I'll take my time, after all."

Kiyoshi's fingers brushed against River's nipple. The contact sent a jolt through River's body, something that Kiyoshi would have had to be blind not to notice.

"Someone's sensitive," Kiyoshi observed, trailing his cool fingers across River's chest. "And so receptive. How many times do you think you can come in one night?"

"I – I don't know," River said breathlessly. "Two? Three? I've never –"

"Well, now's as good a time to find out as any." The words made River's stomach flutter and his mouth go dry in anticipation – he'd honestly never gone beyond one, maybe two, in any given day, let alone a single evening. In Kiyoshi's low, rough voice, it sounded almost like a challenge – no, an order.

"You sucked me off last time," Kiyoshi said. "Maybe I should return the favour."

Before River could respond, Kiyoshi's mouth was on his cock. His hips jerked upwards involuntarily and he choked back a moan, tense with the effort of resisting the urge to buck upwards into the wet heat of Kiyoshi's mouth.

Kiyoshi swirled his tongue around the tip of River's cock, sending electric shocks of pleasure up his spine. River closed his eyes and leaned his head back against Kiyoshi's silken sheets. The amazing heat disappeared from River's cock for a moment, making him whine in protest.

"So needy," Kiyoshi said, his voice warm with amusement. River opened his eyes to see that Kiyoshi had vacated the bed and was now kneeling on the hardwood floor, eye-level with River's erection. He spread River's legs a little farther part, leaning forward on the bed and swallowing River down.

River inhaled sharply as the entirety of his cock was engulfed by the wet heat of Kiyoshi's mouth. Kiyoshi hummed as he worked his way up, sending mind-numbing vibrations up River's cock.

It was clear that Kiyoshi was very, very experienced – he showed none of the discomfort that River had experienced while sucking him off, and he was taking him down further than River had ever been taken before; he could feel the head of his cock at the back of Kiyoshi's throat. His cheeks were hollowed out as he sucked, his dark eyes fixed on River's. His hands roamed over River's naked body at the same time, stroking and caressing, eventually finding their way up to River's nipples. River thought he could feel the coldness of the metal balls pierced through Kiyoshi's lip, rubbing him in a distinctly foreign and not unpleasant way. He tweaked at his hardened nipples, eliciting a barely-muffled groan from River as he carefully closed his fingers around the sensitive, swollen skin.

Kiyoshi drew back again with an obscene pop as his lips left River's cock, pressing a kiss to the inside of River's thigh. "Like that, do you?" He tugged harder at River's nipples, and when he whimpered, Kiyoshi twisted and sent electric shocks of pleasure and pain jolting through River's body.

With Kiyoshi's hot mouth on his cock and his tongue licking scorching stripes along his cock, one hand fondling River's balls and the other teasing River's burning, sensitive nipples, it didn't take long for River to come. His orgasm came on so fast that it surprised even him; he couldn't hold back a loud cry as his back nearly arched off the bed.

Kiyoshi coughed, pulling away and leaving behind a trail of saliva that he wiped away nonchalantly with the back of his wrist. His eyes were watering and his immaculate hair was ruffled and had fallen out of place, but he was smirking at River's spent, panting form when he came up. River had never seen a sight quite like it: his lips reddened and swollen, his dark eyes red-rimmed but still glinting playfully.

"Sorry," River said weakly. "Probably should have warned you."

Kiyoshi laughed, his voice rougher and hoarser than before. "No need, kitten. It's nice to know that I can get you off so fast."

River couldn't help but blush, which made Kiyoshi grin as he joined River back on his bed.

"You're still hard," River noted, upon seeing the outline of Kiyoshi's cock through his slacks.

"Mm. Look, I might only be twenty-seven, but I don't exactly have the same refractory period as a twenty-one-year-old, as much as it pains me to admit it."

"Refractory period – oh _hell_ , you were serious about that?" River blurted out. Three times in an hour…he was already spent, and he'd only come once so far.

"Of course I fucking was. How often am I going to come across a willing little sweetheart like you? If I'm going to be cradle-robbing, I'm taking full advantage of it."

"Six years," River pointed out. "Not exactly cradle-robbing. And I'm of age."

"Yeah, well, this is still the biggest age difference I've ever dealt with. I'm not into fucking minors, _oddly enough_."

"Oh. That's…that's good."

"It's basic human decency, that's what it is," Kiyoshi snorted. "When'd you turn twenty-one? You're still doing your undergrad, so it can't have been long."

"I, uh, last month. February nineteenth."

"Tell me then, kitten, how are you so experienced around alcohol? Unless you were pretending to be sober."

"Wasn't pretending. Drinking age's lower where I'm from."

"What, China?"

River blinked in surprise, rolling over to face Kiyoshi. "Yeah. You guessed."

"Not exactly hard to. Your last name gives it away, if nothing else." Kiyoshi stroked his fingers across River's jawline, tracing a line down to his throat. River swallowed, his lips parting on instinct and his heart beginning to thump erratically. "You ready for round two, kitten?"

River closed his eyes, biting at his lip. He still felt languid and over-sensitive, the way he usually did after an orgasm, but he couldn't deny that Kiyoshi's touch was _doing_ things to him. "I'm ready if you are."

Kiyoshi pressed a searing kiss into the skin on his neck, sucking lightly. "Turn over then, kitten."

River didn't know what he had been expecting, but it hadn't quite been that. Hesitantly, he obeyed so that he was lying on his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Good boy," came Kiyoshi's voice. River shuddered at the praise – it was an errant, careless statement, really, but it made arousal coil warm in his body.

"There's that tight little ass I've been fantasizing about," Kiyoshi breathed. "I'm dying to know what it tastes like."

A high-pitched whine of surprise escaped River at those words. He twisted around to stare at Kiyoshi with wide eyes, hardly able to believe it when Kiyoshi met his gaze steadily – with a smirk, it was true, but with no sign that he was joking.

"What, you've never been eaten out before? Tell me you know what rimming is, please."

"I – no, I mean, yeah, I mean –" River stumbled over his words. "I know what rimming is. I just, I've never had it done to me."

Kiyoshi hummed in contemplation. "Well, that's another first you're experiencing tonight, isn't it? If you're okay with it, that is."

"Yeah," River agreed. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good. If you want me to stop, just say the word. Until then, though, spread your legs."

River hastened to obey, squeaking in surprise when he felt Kiyoshi thumbing apart his ass cheeks.

"Everything about you is pretty, kitten," Kiyoshi commented. "Pretty lips, pretty thighs, pretty asshole."

River muffled a whimper when Kiyoshi licked a hot stripe from his balls to his asshole, burying his face into the sheets. He'd heard about rimming, of course, and he'd watched it…but he was hardly going to expect actually experiencing it to be similar to staged porn. He'd never really given much thought to the idea of someone else's mouth on his asshole. But now that it was happening, Kiyoshi's tongue hot around edges of his hole, teasing at the puckered skin, he couldn't think of anything but a blinding pleasure.

"Let me see that pretty hole," Kiyoshi ordered, lightly tapping his hand against River's ass with a soft _smack_. River's entire body jolted involuntarily, and to try and cover up his response, he shifted and lifted his hips, kneeling with his elbows still firm on the bed.

"Gorgeous." Kiyoshi's voice was low and husky. Moments later, River felt hands on the curve of his ass, sliding down to caress his thighs and nudge his knees further apart. He was now splayed on the bed with his face in the sheets and his ass presented in the air. It was a distinctly vulnerable position to be in…but he found that he liked it, his cock already hardening again and his throat going dry with anticipation.

River jerked involuntarily when he felt Kiyoshi's tongue tease the entrance of his hole, brushing against the sensitive skin for only an instant. When River let out a muffled cry of protest, there was a low laugh from behind him, followed by the return of the hot wetness of Kiyoshi's tongue.

River bucked and fluttered involuntarily around Kiyoshi's tongue, gasping as Kiyoshi delved deeper, swirling his tongue around his hole and pressing the tip of it in until River was gasping and biting into his hand to stifle his keens. Kiyoshi was holding his trembling thighs apart as he continued, pausing every so often to press a kiss into the side of River's inner thigh, occasionally sucking what River was sure would become bruises into his skin. He kissed River's hole with the same passion that he had used to kiss his mouth, teasing him open and occasionally nipping at the sensitive skin and causing River to shudder and whine.

Kiyoshi gripped at River's hips, preventing him from flinching involuntarily away as he ran his tongue slowly over the places he had nipped at with his teeth, and as his tongue passed over them, dull twinges of throbbing pain coursed through River, making him shudder. He fisted the bedsheets with his hands, squeezing his eyes shut as Kiyoshi's pace quickened, his tongue swiping over River's skin.

The pressure of Kiyoshi's hand on his achingly hard cock was what drove him over the edge moments later, biting down hard on the mussed bedsheets to stifle his cry. His entire body shuddered, going boneless and all but collapsing onto the bed. So utterly spent and blissed-out was he with the aftershocks of his orgasm, still cresting in waves over his limp, lax body, that he couldn't even bring himself to care that there was a damp patch of his own come on the sheets beneath him.

"You don't disappoint. Twice already, and it hasn't even been an hour yet."

River was too dazed to do much but mumble incoherently, rolling over onto his back with some difficulty. "That – fuck, that felt good."

"Well, I fucking hope it did, that was sort of the point," Kiyoshi deadpanned. "You act like you've never done anything past basic ass fucking."

"I, uh, haven't really, actually."

Kiyoshi stared at him in something that bordered disbelief and pity, his eyes narrowed in what looked like dawning horror. "Oh fuck, you're not a virgin, are you?"

"I – no," River spluttered, making the effort to sit up despite his floppy-feeling muscles. He couldn't really manage it, and settled for propping himself up halfway on his elbows. "No, I'm not. Definitely not. It's just, I don't know, sex with people has so far mostly just been them fucking me, or me sucking them off, or jerking it together. Nothing beyond that, really."

It was almost funny, how scandalized Kiyoshi looked. "Fuck. You know, when people pass out after sex, it's usually because it's good as hell, not because it bores them to sleep."

"Not really my fault," River muttered, a little mutinously. He was still riding the high of his second orgasm of the night, though, and couldn't really be bothered to get annoyed with Kiyoshi. "None of them ever really wanted to go further than that. Most of them weren't out yet, either."

"You, kitten, have the worst fucking judgement. Especially when it comes to sex."

"Well, I'm here, so what does that say about you?"

"Congratulations, you've ended up in the bed of Kiyoshi Nakano, notorious playboy who's been pictured leaving various establishments with so many different people that the media have given up on keeping up."

River laughed breathlessly. "Well, that _does_ say something about how sexually appealing you are, doesn't it?"

"Oh, well played. I'll take that as a compliment."

"Well, it was intended as one."

"Cheeky little fucker, aren't you?" Kiyoshi shook his head, a small grin playing around on his face. "Well, you're not a virgin, at least. Not that there's anything wrong with being a twenty-one-year-old virgin, but it would be a fucking crime if no one'd approached you yet, with that pretty face of yours. And it's just considerably less traumatizing to me."

"Yeah?"

"You're already barely legal, and I'm more than half a decade older than you. Taking your virginity would just be the fucking cherry on top. Ah, no pun intended."

"Definitely not a virgin," River confirmed. With a sudden burst of playful confidence, he continued. "Actually, I've been told that I'm pretty good at taking it up the ass."

Kiyoshi's eyes darkened. He reached over, placing two of his fingers under River's chin and tilting it upwards so that they were eye-to-eye. "Oh really, now? Maybe I should be adding my judgement to that statement. That is, if you're up for it."

River wondered briefly if his already aching cock could take it. There was something addicting, though, about the thought of relinquishing his control to Kiyoshi, giving himself up to him and his body.

"I'm up for it," he agreed, blushing when his voice cracked slightly. Kiyoshi only grinned in response, reaching over River to slide open his bedside drawer.

"Good to hear." Kiyoshi drew a thin bottle of lube from the drawer and a condom packet, throwing aside the packet on the table. "You mind if I help prepare you?"

"N – no, not at all," River stammered. "I, ah…can we wait a second, though?" His face was flaming hot. Kiyoshi didn't laugh or tease, something he was grateful for.

"Of course. I don't think anyone has a five-minute refractory period," Kiyoshi commented. He set aside the lube, settling onto the bed so that he was leaning on one elbow, facing River. Their faces were only inches apart, but River supposed he could hardly feel uncomfortable, seeing as Kiyoshi's dick had been in his mouth, and vice versa. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask. Where'd your glasses go?"

"Oh." River hadn't expected him to notice at all. "I, um, I'm wearing contacts. It's less work when I'm going out. They get uncomfortable if I wear them too long, though. Most people think I look better without glasses, anyway."

"Trying to impress me, kitten?"

River spluttered, relieved that Kiyoshi didn't seem to be looking for a real answer, because yes, he had been trying to impress Kiyoshi. Well, maybe impress wasn't the right word, he'd been trying to end up with him, and it had worked, after all. Mentioning his contacts had made him realize how dry his eyes were, though, and he tried to rub at them surreptitiously, gingerly avoiding pressing them into his eyes.

"Take them out, if they're bothering you," Kiyoshi said carelessly. "You can use the bathroom through there." He waved a hand. "And then we'll have round three when you come back."


	7. Chapter Seven

_**Note**_

 _The next chapter will be the last of the chapters I have pre-written. It's interesting, though, the process of incorporating elements of BDSM into something that could be considered a plot, and trying to put into words the feeling of being a submissive. So, I will most likely be continuing this, but it will not be one of my priorities, and will most likely not have a regular updating schedule._

 _There are more explicit BDSM undertones in this chapter, though mostly through dialogue than any sort of actual action. This chapter_ does _include penetrative sex, and is more extreme than the previous one. Although, that, perhaps, isn't saying much._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River nearly tripped as he headed over to the indicated bathroom, his legs unsteady and his muscles weak. He flipped on the light and immediately cringed away from the sudden brightness, squinting in the light. The bathroom was just as sleek and colourless as everything else in the apartment, all grey marble and pristine white surfaces. River popped his contacts out and glanced around for a trash can, dumping them inside. Blinking several times to try and alleviate the dryness in his eyes, he accustomed himself to the slight blurriness of his surroundings and stumbled back to the bed, laying back down across it.

"Thanks," he murmured to Kiyoshi. He thought he shrugged, but couldn't be sure.

"Mm, you can stay on your back," Kiyoshi said while popping open the bottle and coating his fingers liberally with the oil. "I want to see your face when I'm fucking you. Spread your legs, kitten."

River had scarcely enough time to obey before Kiyoshi was pressing the tip of his index finger against the entrance of his hole. He let out a sharp gasp of shock at the sensation of the cool lube at the entrance of his raw, still oversensitive hole.

"You good, kitten?" Kiyoshi murmured, as River flinched away out of reflex at the sensation.

"'M fine," he mumbled, drawing his knees up and spreading them further apart. "It's cold, that's all. Surprised me."

Kiyoshi hummed in acknowledgement, pressing against the ring of muscle and making River's breath hitch in his throat. "So fucking responsive," he said, while circling his finger teasingly around the edge of River's hole. "So much fun to play with."

River inhaled sharply when he felt the first finger slip in. Even though it slick and easy with the sheer amount of lube Kiyoshi was using, he still tensed automatically, something Kiyoshi didn't fail to notice. "Does it hurt?"

"No, no," River said hastily. "Keep – keep going."

Kiyoshi complied, probing his finger in and out of River, and loosening him up infinitesimally. "You ready for another one?"

River nodded. But instead of adding another finger, Kiyoshi stopped and looked River in the eye, his head tipped to one side, a faint frown tugging at his lips. He tapped lightly against the back of River's thigh, not hard enough to hurt but enough that there was a soft smack that made the butterflies in River's stomach stir. "Words, kitten."

"I – ah, yes," River stammered, taken aback by the sudden authoritative tone…but not by any means disliking it. If he wasn't already painfully hard, he was certain his cock would have responded eagerly to Kiyoshi's order. "Please," he added, blushing when his voice cracked slightly.

"Good boy," Kiyoshi said easily. River attributed the hot flush that spread through his body to the addition of a second finger inside of him, teasing the inner walls of his body, and refused to think that it was because of Kiyoshi's praise. Kiyoshi fucked him on two fingers, until River was gasping and stifling his whimpers behind his hand and shaking with the burn of Kiyoshi's fingers stretching him out. "You think you can take three?"

River nodded frantically before remembering Kiyoshi's earlier demand. "Y – yes," he choked out, his voice cracking. "I want, I want –"

The third finger was accompanied with a dull pain and a distinct discomfort.

"Easy, kitten," Kiyoshi murmured, when River tensed up, his breaths coming out in quick, shallow gasps and his hands fisted into the sheets. "God, you're so fucking tight."

Kiyoshi slowly worked him loose, fucking River open on his slick fingers. Once the discomfort had faded somewhat, River bucked upwards almost involuntarily, seeking the relief of the friction of Kiyoshi's fingers that curled and teased inside of him. It was agonizingly, teasingly slow, and River nearly sobbed aloud from sheer frustration.

And then Kiyoshi crooked his fingers inside of River, brushing against his prostate and sending an electric jolt searing through him. River bit back a wild keen of pleasure, jerking upwards into Kiyoshi's fingers with a muffled cry.

"Stop that," Kiyoshi said firmly, resting a hand on River's wrist. "I want to hear you. I want to hear those _gorgeous_ sounds of yours while I fuck you on my fingers, and I want to hear how wrecked your voice will be when you come. And later, I want to hear you beg for me to fuck you on my cock, understood?"

"Yes," River said breathlessly, his whole body going hot with the prospect, heat pooling in his crotch at Kiyoshi's commanding tone, at the filthy words that fell from those lips…

"Good boy," Kiyoshi said again. His fingers nudged teasingly at River's prostate again and River sobbed aloud, jerking involuntarily and drawing his knees up on instinct. "Legs spread," Kiyoshi reminded him. River hastened to obey, his body trembling as he planted his feet further apart on the bed.

Kiyoshi sped up the pace, fucking him relentlessly hard on his fingers so that River was reduced to a gasping, sobbing mess on the bedsheets, squirming desperately and trying to grind upwards into Kiyoshi's fingers. His cock was an angry red and so hard that it hurt, almost pulsing with need. It was an agony that River had never experienced before, but it sent thrills shuddering through him and made his mouth go dry with eager anticipation.

Kiyoshi's fingers teased his prostate one last time. A strangled cry was torn from River's throat as he blacked out for a moment, spots dancing at the edges of his vision as his body jerked almost violently upwards, shuddering with the vivid orgasm that coursed through him.

He kept his eyes closed for a few more seconds, registering only that he was trembling and that the silken sheets were both painful and glorious against his oversensitive, sweaty skin. There was something different, though – there was no relief from the aching pressure in his cock, he was still as tightly wound as ever, and as he opened his eyes, he saw with shock that his cock was still undeniably hard.

"Congratulations, kitten," Kiyoshi said, sounding vaguely impressed. "You came dry."

River was dazed, blinking uncomprehendingly at Kiyoshi's words. Kiyoshi's rough, low laughter was what tugged him gently back to reality and his aching body, wincing as he shifted and realizing that he was still trembling slightly. Kiyoshi slid his fingers out with an obscene, wet pop that made River shudder at the sudden emptiness, a soft sound escaping from the back of his throat. "You're surpassing my wildest expectations so far," Kiyoshi commented.

River told himself that he was blushing for reasons entirely unrelated to the odd compliment. He turned his head away and buried his face into the sheets, trying not to focus on the dull ache in his cock and balls, shifting with a grimace when the sheets rubbed against his oversensitive skin.

"Never come dry before, have you?" Kiyoshi asked, grinning when River shook his head numbly.

"Heard of it," he mumbled, his entire body feeling very uncoordinated and clumsy. "Never – never thought it'd happen to me." He let out a hiss of discomfort as his cock throbbed insistently, automatically reaching down to close his fingers around it, to stroke himself to completion – only for Kiyoshi to grab hold of his wrist.

"Don't think I'm done with you, kitten. After fucking you open on my fingers, I can only imagine how good your tight little hole will feel around my cock."

River shuddered, his lips parted and his fingers curled into the sheets at the words. "Get on with it, then."

"So demanding," Kiyoshi said, laughing quietly. "Let's discuss something first."

River started, looking at Kiyoshi in confusion. "What?"

Kiyoshi ran his hand down River's body, making him shudder as the trail of his fingers made his sweaty, oversensitive skin spark with fire. He stopped at the swell of River's ass, stroking it for a few moments before delivering a smack against the supple flesh. River jolted from both the impact and surprise…and from pleasure, as his skin burned and his aching cock throbbed and a moan escaped his lips.

"That," Kiyoshi murmured. "Kinky little fucker, aren't you? That's the third time tonight."

River closed his eyes, turning away from Kiyoshi as his face burned with a mixture of shame and humiliation. But before he could dwell on the sickening realization that Kiyoshi had figured him out, that he would laugh and amuse himself with River's ridiculous sexual fantasies, Kiyoshi was brushing his lube-free hand over River's cheek. It made him blush, his skin tingling where Kiyoshi stroked his thumb over his cheekbone.

"Maybe not tonight, I did promise that I would fuck you into oblivion," Kiyoshi mused. "But fuck, I'd love to see that tight little ass over my knee one day, bright red from a paddle. What do you think, kitten?"

River could hardly believe it: his – well, perhaps not his most intimate, but definitely not one he'd share freely – sexual fantasy was being freely discussed, Kiyoshi's voice low and heavy with lust, with no hint of him thinking that River was depraved. Hot desire pooled low in his stomach and he twisted back around, planting his hands firmly on either side of Kiyoshi's face and kissing him deeply.

"You haven't fulfilled your other promise yet," he whispered, not trusting his voice not to crack with desire. "Maybe we should work on that before you make new ones."

Kiyoshi recovered from River's suddenness quickly, his dark eyes glittering with interest. "Really, kitten? And what would that be?" He teased.

River swallowed. "Your cock inside of me."

"Yeah? And why should I let you have my cock?"

Kiyoshi's fingers teased River's cock, eliciting a high whine from the back of his throat. "Please," he gasped. "Please. Need your cock. Need you inside of me, need you to fill me up and fuck me raw, please…"

Kiyoshi swore under his breath, already reaching for the condom. "Who knew that pretty little mouth could say shit like that?"

River squirmed underneath Kiyoshi, hooking his fingers through the belt loops of his pants and tugging insistently. Kiyoshi had long since lost his shirt somewhere along the way to the bedroom, and he was all smooth, flawlessly tanned skin and lean, hard muscle, but throughout all of it he'd kept his pants on – to tease River, no doubt.

Kiyoshi let River tug down the zipper and push his pants down his legs, throwing them aside. River's lips parted on instinct when he saw Kiyoshi's erection straining at the thin material of his boxer briefs, unable to tear his eyes away as Kiyoshi ran his fingers along the waistband teasingly.

"Like what you see, kitten?"

Kiyoshi's cock was long and thick, so much so that River wondered nervously if he could even take it. His heart fluttered and his asshole throbbed at the thought of Kiyoshi's cock inside of him, though, the anticipated burn of the stretch and the sensation of being utterly filled.

"Very much," River agreed.

Kiyoshi hummed in apparent satisfaction. "Raise your legs. I want to see your face when you come."

Blushing furiously, River obeyed, shifting onto his back and raising his feet off the bedspread, using his hands to support the backs of his thighs. It was a distinctly vulnerable position, presenting his lube-smothered and stretched-out asshole to Kiyoshi, flat on his back and submitting to Kiyoshi's orders.

"Gorgeous," Kiyoshi murmured, making River blush even harder. "Good kitten. If you want me to stop, just tell me."

Kiyoshi rolled the condom on, taking his time to place his hands on either side of River's trembling body to steady himself and line himself up with River's hole. With a smooth thrust, River felt Kiyoshi's cock inside of him. His breath hitched in his throat at the sensation – Kiyoshi was big, much bigger than anyone else River had ever been with, and while Kiyoshi had been thorough in preparing him, his fingers weren't nearly as thick as his cock. He fought not to tense up, breathing shallowly to try and steady himself.

River heard a soft hiss, felt Kiyoshi stiffen. "Fuck, you're so tight," he whispered. "Oh, fuck. Give me a second, or this is going to end up being very short."

"All those magazines lying about how good you are in bed, then?" River said, laughing breathlessly.

"Don't know how they would ever know, to my knowledge, I've never fucked a reporter. You don't count, you were just a stand-in."

"Never?"

"Well, I'm entitled to some sort of privacy, aren't I?" Kiyoshi rolled his hips slowly, making River's breath hitch in his throat. "Too much?"

"No, no, just –" River let out a low exhale, gritting his teeth. Kiyoshi's cock was thick and heavy inside of him, stretching him out and teasing his aching cock. "Oh, fuck. Move, please."

Kiyoshi started to thrust shallowly, and at first, it was more pain than pleasure – the stretch, the ache in his legs. But then Kiyoshi brushed against his prostate, only briefly, but enough to send River's overstimulated cock into overdrive and wrenching a strangled cry from him.

"That feel good, kitten?" Kiyoshi asked, his voice now slightly uneven and his eyes very dark.

"Yes, yes," River choked out. "Please, Kiyoshi, fuck me harder, please…"

Kiyoshi hooked his arms underneath River's aching legs to rest them on his own body, and after that, all River could register was a blinding pleasure as Kiyoshi hammered into him. The obscene sound of skin on skin and Kiyoshi's heavy panting was accompanied by River's soft, stifled cries. But when Kiyoshi purred a demand, at the same time planting a foot up on the bed to change the angle so that he was ramming River's prostate with every thrust, he threw back his head and let out a long, high-pitched moan of pleasure that made Kiyoshi swear and increase his frantic pace.

"Kiyoshi, I'm – I'm going to –" River gasped, feeling the hot curl of his release building up inside of him.

"Come for me, kitten," Kiyoshi all but growled, his breath hot in River's ear and his voice low and sinful.

River came with a scream, his orgasm tearing through his body so violently that it was almost painful, his cock twitching weakly and only a few small spurts of come dripping from his cock. Utterly spent, he lay, boneless and exhausted, as Kiyoshi came half a minute later, his back arched, eyes closed and mouth parted in a strangled gasp.

They lay together for a few minutes, both of them only focused on catching their breath. River was dimly aware of the streaks of come splattering his stomach and the lube still leaking around his asshole, but he was too exhausted to do anything but try and keep his eyes open.

He hadn't even noticed that Kiyoshi had gotten up until he was leaning over him, pressing a damp washcloth against his skin. "You really don't disappoint, kitten."

River only mumbled incoherently, which made Kiyoshi laugh quietly. "You can spend the night here. Most people do. I've got two spare bedrooms, if you'd rather sleep alone."

River could only yawn. He didn't particularly want to move – he could feel his mine slipping into the warm darkness of sleep already.

"Guess that settles it." Kiyoshi's voice seemed to come from very, very far away. There was a peculiar edge to his voice, one that River should have, perhaps, been concerned about. But then sleep took him, and he forgot about being concerned about anything at all.


	8. Chapter Eight

_**Note**_

 _This will be the last chapter for a while, since this is all I have pre-written. This is also the first chapter in which there is some more explicit BDSM elements - specifically, domination, and suggestions of sadism (which are, really, very brief and hardly count at all)._

 _Once again, thank you for the support._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

The first thing River registered when he woke up was the soreness in his muscles. He winced, his eyes still closed as he shifted and felt his muscles protest against the movement. He felt boneless and floppy, but at the same time, stiff and uncoordinated. He decided to simply focus on the sheets, soft against his unusually sensitive skin, and the warmth of the blankets around him, as he let his thoughts catch up.

The next thing he realized was that there was a warm body next to him, someone's back pressed up against his own, and likely asleep, from their steady, slow breathing.

Last night's events came rushing back to him all at once. Meeting up with Kiyoshi, his mouth on River's cock, his ass, the blind pleasure of Kiyoshi fucking him into his fourth orgasm of the night. He blushed at the memory, his face growing even hotter as his dick throbbed with an arousal that was made painful by the sheer number of times he had come the night before.

He wondered briefly what it would feel like to tell his friends that he'd had Kiyoshi Nakano's cock up his ass. Sophia would most likely congratulate him. Jun would be reluctantly impressed, and Kacey would probably brush the whole thing off.

There was something entirely different about having sex with Kiyoshi. River's partners of the past had usually been inexperienced, closeted – but then again, so was he, sort of. Kiyoshi had known exactly what he was doing, confident and assured, and had reduced River to a whimpering mess underneath him. He shifted and noticed the bruises on the insides of his thighs, dark purple hickeys that had been sucked into his pale skin, and felt his face flame with embarrassment and, shamefully, arousal.

 _And speaking of…_

River was suddenly aware of the warm, heavy weight sprawled out on the bed beside him. Kiyoshi's back was to him, and all River could see of him were the blankets strewn over top of him rising and falling rhythmically with his deep breaths.

Kiyoshi groaned, making River start. Moments later, he rolled over, pushing himself up on his elbows and blinking sleepily.

"Morning, kitten," he said, his voice low and rough and deep, a sound that made River burn hot, and not entirely with embarrassment. His worn-out body protested against the sensation, reminding him of his aching muscles.

"M – morning," River said, his voice squeaking upwards. He cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up a little more. "I, uh."

"Morning after's always awkward," Kiyoshi commented. "You need to be somewhere today? You can use my shower, if you want. Your clothes are, ah, somewhere in the apartment."

River blushed at the reminder. "Uh, not really. You – you're not worried that, I, that we – um, the media?"

"Well, are you planning on telling them anything?" River shook his head, a little terrified at the prospect – and his emotions seemed to make themselves known on his face, because Kiyoshi laughed quietly. "Yeah, I didn't really think so. Anyway, I think they've stopped giving a fuck. It's too much to keep up with, you know? And really, not that many people are interested in my personal life. I'm not quite as popular as actors and singers and the rest of that shit. Besides, I'm not sure if they would believe you, even if you told."

"I – yeah, I guess so," River admitted. "I guess, I'll take my clothes and get going. I'll, um, take you up on that shower offer, though," he said, wrinkling his nose as he recalled how messy the night before had been. "You want to go first, or should I?"

Kiyoshi hummed in contemplation. "How about we compromise, and we both go first?"

 _Both…oh._

River swallowed, just now noticing Kiyoshi's stiffening cock. "That, that sounds like a good idea."

"I'll give you a second to get your things together, shall I?" Said Kiyoshi. "Then you can join me in, ah, the master bathroom, let's say."

River nodded. "Um, can I, uh, borrow a toothbrush?"

"Yeah, go for it. Cabinet behind the mirror, bathroom down the hall. Open any one of them."

The fact that his clothes were so scattered along the path to Kiyoshi's room made him blush harder. He found his jacket by the door, and his shirt had been thrown clean across the living room. River gathered everything up within a few minutes, making his way through the apartment on unsteady legs – both because of his blurred vision and the ache in his ass, and not to mention the weakness in his legs.

Kiyoshi's master bathroom was sleek, modern, and utterly enormous, like just about everything he owned. A massive bathtub the size of a small swimming pool was the centre of attention, sunken into the silvery-green marble floor. The shower was about half the size of River's room, with glass walls and a tall, ridiculously complex-looking steel showerhead. There was even a built-in shower bench that melted into the wall and floor, about waist-height.

Leaning casually against the seat was Kiyoshi, his legs stretched out in front of him and one hand trailing through his hair. He tugged at a knot with a faint frown, which smoothed out into a smirk as he took River in. He was suddenly very aware that he was still entirely naked, and flushed when he realized that the dark hickeys were very much visible on the pale insides of his thighs, along with his still tender, raw cock. And even though Kiyoshi was naked as well, his lean, muscled body golden-tanned against the white-and-gray monochrome, there was something about the sleek, sharp edges of the bathroom that made River feel out of place and vulnerable.

"You kept me waiting." Kiyoshi's voice, still pitched low and husky, echoed across the bathroom. "Playing coy?" He teased. He ran his tongue over the piercing in his lip, grinning up at River through hooded eyes. He'd taken out his ear piercings during the night, apparently, because his ears were devoid of glittering gems and metal, but the glint of silver in his lip was very much present and made River grow hot with the reminder of feeling that cold metal on his cock.

River's only response was to close the distance between them, and with a burst of reckless confidence that he attributed to the heady, wildly passionate sex of the night before, he straddled Kiyoshi's lap and kissed him for all he was worth.

Kiyoshi made a surprised sound in the back of his throat but responded easily, wrapping one arm around River's waist and let the heel of his other hand rest on River's hip, his fingers curving around to cup his ass. He pulled River closer so that they were chest-to-chest and River arched his back to deepen the kiss, cupping one hand around Kiyoshi's face while the other fisted in his hair – a little damp and oily with sweat, but Kiyoshi's groan as River tugged, the hardening of his cock pressed against River's skin, was more than worth it.

It was fascinating, River though dazedly, how Kiyoshi still somehow managed to remain in utter control, even with River on top and Kiyoshi having to crane his neck upwards to keep their lips pressed together. Kiyoshi never faltered, always took the lead – nipping gently at River's lip to elicit soft, breathy sounds from him that he couldn't suppress even if he had wanted to, digging his fingers into River's hips in a way that made River's body tense and keen with the dull, thrilling pain.

Kiyoshi was the one that broke off the kiss, laughing breathlessly when River let out an involuntary whine of loss.

"As much as I'd love for this to continue, I did have something else in mind," he said, his breath stirring up the wisps of River's hair that had escaped from the confines of Jun's hairspray. "And, well, my hair feels fucking disgusting, and I absolutely need a shower, now."

River laughed as well, standing up and stumbling backwards from his perch on Kiyoshi's thighs, retreating to a far corner of the (really, quite incredibly large) shower. Kiyoshi dragged the glass sliding door shut around them with a _swoosh_ , which was misted up moments later with a spray of hot water.

"That's…a lot of shampoo," River observed, staring at the row of bottles lined up in a crevice in the wall.

"Well, some of it's conditioner," Kiyoshi said. "And some of them are empty ones that I couldn't be assed to throw out. Fucking –" he tugged on a knot in his soapy hair, scowling. "Should shave this all off and be done with it," he muttered, wincing.

"But then no one would be able to pull on it during sex."

River half-braced himself for a glare, but Kiyoshi let out a laugh that reverberated across the room. "Jesus, kitten, you're really much more fun when you're not a stuttering mess. Not that I don't think that that's endearing, too. I suppose that's a point."

He tossed River the bottle of shampoo. It took an embarrassingly long time for River to work his blunt fingernails under the cap, but he finally managed to uncap the bottle and pour a small blob of gel onto his palm. It smelled minty, cold, but with an edge of sweetness to the sharpness – a smell that River thought was very _Kiyoshi_.

Kiyoshi was more muscular than he had originally realized, maybe because he was tall and lean, and not particularly bulky. All the same, River could see the shadows curving over the muscles in his arms, and the clear indentations of his abdominal muscles, especially in the bright, clean light of the bathroom. It made him more than a little self-conscious, glancing down at his much more slender, softer body. It was difficult to find time and motivation to stay fit, though, in his last year of university. He resolved to accompany Jun to the gym more often.

Kiyoshi turned to rinse himself off, and River caught sight of a dark trail of ink, coiling around Kiyoshi's ribcage in calligraphy.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo," River said, surprised and intrigued. It was stark against Kiyoshi's smooth, tanned skin, bold and full of sharp edges and swooping curves. "I – can I – can I ask what it says?"

"You've seen me naked, and it took you that long to realize?" Kiyoshi said, but there was a laugh in his voice. River blushed, nonetheless.

"I – well, it was dark, and I don't have my glasses," River defended himself. "And I was more focused on, um, other, um, things."

"Very eloquent," Kiyoshi said. "But understandable. I got it when I was twenty or so. _Aut viam inveniam aut faciam_ ," he recited. "Probably butchered the pronunciation. Fuck it. It's a Latin quote."

He didn't elaborate on what it meant, and River didn't ask. He had the feeling that if Kiyoshi hadn't given the information of his own volition just now, he wouldn't even if River pressed him.

"It's nice," he said, for lack of anything else to say. It was nice, though: the curling dark lines of the tattoo sweeping around his back and ribs.

"Thanks. You know, you can come closer."

River hadn't realized that Kiyoshi had noticed that he was lingering in a far corner of the shower, still under the spray of multiple showerheads but more than arm's length away from Kiyoshi. He stepped closer, his eyes widening when Kiyoshi cupped his face in a water-slick hand.

"Ever had shower sex, kitten?"

River shook his head mutely, pushing his wet fringe out of his face. There was soap running down his face from the residual shampoo, but he couldn't find it in himself to care because Kiyoshi's voice was low and rough and his eyes dark, his hands trailing across River's arched back.

"I – kind of," River said hesitantly. "Um, I sucked someone off in the shower before. It wasn't – not that enjoyable, I didn't really know what to do –"

"Need me to walk you through it, kitten?"

River swallowed hard, staring up at Kiyoshi, squinting a little through the spray of water from the shower. Kiyoshi's hair was slicked back with water, a few strands clinging to his face but most of it trailing down his neck, away from his face and drawing all attention to his features – high, arched cheekbones, a sharp jawline, a straight, fine nose and narrow, close-set eyes. A droplet of water clung to the piercing in his lip and he flicked his tongue out, swiping it up and reminding River of that tongue teasing at his hole. And that reminded him of Kiyoshi's voice, firm and commanding, the thrill that had run through him, the warm flush of obeying, the ensuing praise.

"Yeah," he whispered. He cleared his throat. "Y – yeah, I, I do," he said, louder. Kiyoshi's mouth curled upwards into a faint smirk, his eyes gleaming with a strange sort of interest that stirred something low in River's body.

"Tell me if you want to stop," Kiyoshi said, drawing away from him. "Ready, kitten?"

River nodded.

"Words."

"Yes, yes, I'm ready," River breathed.

"Good kitten," Kiyoshi praised. "Now. Over to the wall, by the bench."

River nearly slipped on his way over, throwing his arms out, the floor made slick by the water and the spray still warm on his skin. He faced Kiyoshi, his back to the wall and the edges of the bench against his legs.

"Turn around."

River hastened to obey. The only sound in the bathroom was the patter of droplets against the floor and skin.

"Spread your legs," Kiyoshi murmured, his voice very low and quiet. "Bend over, with your hands flat on the bench."

River obeyed, breathing shallowly. His cock was hard again, despite the ache that had resulted from the night before. He was almost dazed from the burning need to obey Kiyoshi's orders in his low, dark voice, the commanding authority.

There was the sound of a condom wrapper being torn open, the snap of latex. River tensed automatically. Moments later, he felt Kiyoshi's hot mouth on his ass, a blistering kiss pressed into his skin, quickly replaced by a hard nip that made him gasp and draw his hands into his chest.

There was a sudden hard _smack_ on River's ass, making him jolt and let out a shuddering, keening whine.

"Hands on the bench, kitten," Kiyoshi growled.

River flattened his hands on the bench again, shifting to spread his legs further apart.

"Good kitten. I'm going to prep you now."

Kiyoshi had had, apparently, the foresight to bring lube into the shower with him. River could feel his slick fingers pushing against his hole, stretching him out with much more ease than yesterday. He gasped nonetheless, and lifted his hand up out of reflex to cover his mouth.

The movement was met with another, harder slap against his ass, eliciting a whimpering, breathy moan from him. He was so achingly hard, his cock stiff and throbbing.

"Naughty. Better behave, kitten, or I might decide that I won't let you come after all."

River let out a desperate whine of exhilarated horror at the prospect, somehow incredibly, frantically turned on. Kiyoshi chuckled darkly. "Mm, maybe another time. Maybe I'll tie you up, too, so that you won't move so much."

The thought made River shudder with sudden arousal, the thought of being bound and helpless before Kiyoshi, presented for him and completely at submission.

Kiyoshi's fingers disappeared suddenly, which made River whine and buck back in a futile attempt to relieve the sudden sense of cold emptiness. He kept his hands flat on the surface, though, desperate for Kiyoshi's approval.

"Good kitten," Kiyoshi murmured. Moments later, River flinched as he felt the tip of Kiyoshi's cock at his entrance. "Easy. You all right? Want to stop?" He asked, his voice smoother, more controlled.

"N – no," River stuttered. "Keep, keep going…"

Kiyoshi slid into him with a smooth thrust that made River cry out, his breath hitching in his throat at the feeling of Kiyoshi's cock filling him up so utterly, stretching at the taut muscle with a fierce burn that was not altogether unwelcome.

"So good," Kiyoshi praised, rolling his hips languidly and making River sob with frustration, not daring to move his hands, or his body at all. His legs were trembling with the effort of keeping himself up, and his breath was coming out in short, sharp gasps. Kiyoshi snapped his hips against River's ass, driving his cock in still deeper, and River's head fell back and his lips parted in a loud, lewd moan that echoed off the shower walls and made his entire body go hot.

Kiyoshi's rhythm quickened, hammering relentlessly into River's prostate. A whimpering gasp escaped his lips, embarrassing, more than a little pathetic, but he was still rubbed raw from last night and Kiyoshi's cock in his ass, Kiyoshi's hands in a tight grip on his hips, was sending dazzling, crackling tremors over his skin that made him sob with the overwhelming overstimulation.

Not breaking in his rhythm, Kiyoshi leaned over so that River could feel Kiyoshi's chest on his back, his hot skin slick with cool water. He felt the grip of Kiyoshi's hands tighten, and moments later, he cried out and jolted at the feeling of Kiyoshi biting down on his right shoulder. He sucked into River's skin, hard, and River felt a heady rush of excitement at the thought of Kiyoshi marking his skin like his thighs, already mottled with hickeys.

The pressure was building up, and River's breath was now coming out in laboured pants. "Ki – Kiyoshi," he gasped, choking back a moan as Kiyoshi kept up his rhythmic, unrelenting pace. "I – I'm going to – I –"

Kiyoshi hummed against his skin, the metal of his piercing cold against River's flushed, inflamed skin. "Remember, tell me to stop and I will," he breathed. He reached over, clamping a hand on River's cock and effectively delaying River's impeding orgasm with the tight pressure of his hand. His breath was hot in River's ear, his voice demanding, deep, and coarse. "Mm, do you really deserve to? You've disobeyed me quite a few times already…"

A sobbing moan escaped River's throat. "Please, Kiyoshi, I need to – please, let me…"

"Well," Kiyoshi drew out the word. River was desperately trying not to squirm and twist away, his hands still flat on the slick surface of the bench, his legs still spread wide apart. "Since you've asked so nicely." River let out a cry when Kiyoshi squeezed the tip of his cock, hard, his entire body shuddering with the overwhelming mix of sensations. Kiyoshi took his hand away, drawing it across River's body, and River felt nothing but a desperate rush of relief. "Come for me, kitten."

River found his release with a cry, his legs giving way beneath him as come splattered over the bench and the shower floor, almost immediately washed away by the shower spray. He felt Kiyoshi's arms wrap around him and pull him back to an upright position, and could hardly do anything but comply. His muscles weren't exactly uncooperative, but his mind was in a strange sort of haze, so that he didn't particularly care much that he was all but slumped against Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi managed to maneuver him so that they were both sitting on the bench, with River half in Kiyoshi's lap again.

"You really, really don't disappoint," Kiyoshi said again, quietly – which was an odd relief, because River had the impression that anything louder would have been jarring. "Such a good kitten."

River only managed a soft sort of mumbling hum, which made Kiyoshi shake his head and chuckle. "You're kind of fucking perfect, kitten. Keep this up, and I might be more than tempted to keep you around."


	9. Chapter Nine

_**Note**_

 _This chapter contains much discussion of, but no actual engagement in, BDSM activities. There are no explicitly sexual actions, besides for a brief moment towards the end of the chapter._

 _As a side note, it's difficult to make discussion of terms interesting. However, for those of you that are interested in the BDSM lifestyle, it is extremely important and necessary to discuss all of your and your partner's terms to the relationship - though not, definitely, the exact terms being discussed here._

 _The next chapter will contain the discussion of limits in the relationship, which is just as, if not more crucial to a relationship of this nature. As a result, it will definitely take me longer to write, because I do not, in any way, want to misrepresent anything accidentally._

 _Finally, thank you for over 1k views. I didn't expect this to gain that much attention in as little time as it did, but I can't say I'm not flattered._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River ended up staying for the breakfast that Kiyoshi had ordered in. As much as he wanted to limit the amount of awkward interactions between them, the last time he'd had anything but takeout and instant ramen was when he'd gone home for Christmas. He was hardly going to pass up the offer of free food – least of all, free, _good_ food.

"Not a fan of chocolate?" Kiyoshi observed, as River piled his plate with blueberry pancakes.

"Um, not really," River admitted. "Just never liked the taste."

Kiyoshi speared a strawberry on the tip of his fork. "You said you don't have anything to do today? This weekend?"

"Um, no, nothing this weekend. Why?"

Kiyoshi hummed. "I want to talk about something with you. It can wait until after breakfast."

"O – okay," River stammered. He could only imagine what Kiyoshi had in mind for him – their only interactions had been, at the very least, heavily flirtatious. Well, on Kiyoshi's part, anyway. And it didn't particularly help that Kiyoshi was still very much shirtless.

Just then, there was a tinny-sounding guitar riff from the other side of the enormous granite tabletop, across from where River and Kiyoshi were sitting beside each other.

"Can't these incompetent fuckers do _anything_ on their own?" Kiyoshi muttered, rolling his eyes as he pushed his seat away from the table. "It's _Saturday_ , I want a fucking break. Nakano Enterprises, Kiyoshi Nakano speaking," he said into the receiver, his voice changing abruptly – still low and drawling and with more than an implication of sarcasm, but crisper, more authoritative.

River stayed silent, keeping his eyes trained on his food. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate for him to stay and listen, but then again, he didn't want to seem rude by leaving abruptly from the table. He elected to stay. If Kiyoshi didn't want him listening, he could full well just walk out of the room while still on the phone. Besides, he wasn't about to abandon his half-finished pancakes.

"Antara," Kiyoshi said, shedding the sharp professionalism immediately. "It's nine A.M, on a Saturday. What the hell?"

 _Antara...Antara Khatri_. River remembered – the fairly young women and all her dignified efficiency in the elevator. From the sounds of it, she and Kiyoshi were quite familiar. It did put her comments in the elevator into some sort of context.

"Yes, I'm aware it's my company," Kiyoshi said, sounding annoyed. River chanced a glance upwards to see him roll his eyes. "It sunk in, sometime in, you know, the last three years that I've owned it. Which is why I should have enough authority to do whatever the fuck I want in it. Yeah, my company, my rules – fine, not _whatever_ I want, I'm aware – yes, Antara, I know, I have responsibilities and obligations and shit. You know what else I have an obligation to? Not going into the office before eleven on a goddamn Saturday. Oh – stop it – come on, I was joking. Well no, you're right, not really,"

River made to get up and leave, but Kiyoshi seemed to catch the movement out of the corner of his eye and waved him back down. He obediently sat back down, sipping at his glass of water to seem like he was preoccupying himself with something. It was a little jarring, hearing Kiyoshi swear so easily over the phone, but he did suppose that it was something that he was used to by this point. And it wasn't especially unexpected, especially considering the interview that River had held with him.

"I'm still not coming in before eleven. Look, whatever comes up in the next two hours, you can deal with it." Kiyoshi ran his hand through his still-damp hair. His voice changed suddenly, sounding low and irritated. "What the hell? Who the fuck has business meetings during Saturday mornings? Fine, get the PA to reschedule – oh, for _fuck's_ sake. Get Hisa to stall for me for a while. I'll leave by ten, I promise. Look, the office is only a ten minute drive away. Yeah, thanks for letting me know – well, I _would_ pick up the calls if the PA didn't have a bad habit of calling me for things like running out of fucking paperclips. All right, I'll see you, then."

Kiyoshi tossed his phone back on the counter with a _clatter_ that made River wince. "Incompetent assholes," Kiyoshi muttered. "I'm going to be quick, kitten, because I have to go soon. I enjoyed your, ah, company."

"Fucking me?" River blurted out, and immediately blushed.

"Among other things, but yes," Kiyoshi said. "Tell me honestly, though. This morning, last night…"

River flushed so hard that he thought even his hair must be tinted red. The need to obey Kiyoshi, his orders, the shivering arousal of being made to comply…

He'd been blissed out and vaguely disconnected for a few minutes, afterwards. Too dazed to try and make sense of whatever was going on around him, and not nearly invested enough to care much about it. Kiyoshi had ended up supporting him in the shower, murmuring quietly to him and carefully cleaning him up with a soft washcloth, and finally helping him to his unsteady feet.

"I liked it," River whispered, fidgeting in his seat and pulling at the sleeves of the jacket he had worn the day before. He'd felt vulnerable, exposed, and the jacket had helped, marginally. There was something about Kiyoshi's apartment, though, all stark edges and colours that made him feel like he was being laid bare. "A, a lot."

Kiyoshi sat back down at the table and folded his arms across it so he could lean forwards. He hadn't taken his original seat next to River, instead, he was some distance away – enough to still seem interested in the conversation but far enough that he could retreat from it if necessary – or maybe, he realized, giving River indication that he wasn't obligated to the conversation if he didn't want to be.

"I'd like it if that became a regular pastime for us," Kiyoshi said bluntly, and River's breath hitched in his throat at the thought of it.

"I'd like that," he replied, his voice trembling slightly. He reached up to play with the frame of his glasses, before realizing he wasn't wearing them and tugged on his fringe instead, flushing.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Kiyoshi said. "But I'll be honest with you. I have some, ah, _particular_ tastes, that really aren't for everyone. And if this is going to be an arrangement between us, this is something we need to work out. And for the record, you're not allowed to tell the media. I will absolutely deny everything you say, if they even believe it, which will probably end up discrediting you forever."

River nodded, paling slightly. He folded his hands back in his lap, his sleeves pulled so tight over his fingers that the jacket was starting to slip off his shoulders.

"Have you ever heard of BDSM, kitten?"

River didn't think it was possible for him to blush harder than he already was. Despite his mortification, a thrill of excitement shot through him at the mention. "I – yeah," he squeaked out. "Yeah, I have."

"You know what it stands for?"

River swallowed. He looked up into Kiyoshi's eyes, dark and intense on his, his face as serious as River had ever seen it.

"B – bondage and, and Discipline," River said breathlessly, stumbling over his words in his haste. "Domination and Sub – submission. Sadism and Masochism."

"You know what all that means, kitten?"

River nodded silently. "Yes, yes, I do," he hurried to say, when he remembered Kiyoshi's insistence on verbal responses.

"Know what a scene is, what playing is?"

"Y – yes."

"Tell me."

"A, a session of, of BDSM activity."

"Limits, safewords?"

"Things you won't do during a scene," River said, curling in on himself to try and hide his embarrassed excitement bordering on arousal. "And, and a word that'll stop the scene."

"Good kitten," he said, and River ducked his head down to try and cover his flush of shamed delight at the praise. "I'm impressed. I'm going to lay this all out for you. I'm a Dominant. I don't switch, and I don't bottom during scenes. I don't have anything against vanilla sex, and I'd be fine with having a regular, old-fashioned 'friends-with-benefits' thing going on. I do, however, find scenes much more enjoyable as a whole."

River nodded. Kiyoshi paused for a second, appearing to evaluate how well River was taking it all. River knew his face was a little too flushed, his breathing a little too quick, his eyes wide.

"You following with me, River?" He asked, his voice quiet, almost gentle. River jolted back, hard, to the reality of the situation – the cold tabletop, the sterile kitchen, Kiyoshi in front of him and leaning back slightly in his seat – at the use of his real name. He took a deep, steadying breath – it wasn't off-putting to him, not frightening him, disturbing to him, but it was more than a little overwhelming. He steadied himself, closing his eyes for a split second to regather his thoughts before opening them again to look straight at Kiyoshi.

"Yeah. Yeah, keep going."

Kiyoshi nodded. When he continued, it was a little slower, with a quieter voice. River appreciated the gesture.

"There are going to be terms, regardless of whether or not we have a BDSM relationship or a vanilla one. I want to hear whether or not you'll agree with them after I say each one. Is that all right with you?"

"Y – yes," River whispered, not trusting himself to speak louder. Kiyoshi's voice was firm, authoritative – there was no room for bargaining, for argument, here. There was only compliance or disagreement.

"First, that this is confidential and private. You do not tell the media, you do not disclose to anyone that there is a relationship at all. The few people that are allowed to know are a couple friends that I trust on my end, and a few of your close, _trustworthy_ friends. And, well, the receptionist of the building will probably guess, but she's not permitted to disclose anything to the public about the tenants. It is for this term that the only place where anything sexual in nature will happen between us, regularly, is my apartment. Are we in agreement, River?"

"Y – yes," River said – well, it was to be expected, he reflected. In any case, he was certain that he didn't really want to be exclusively known as Kiyoshi Nakano's gay lover.

"All right. Secondly, that this will be an exclusive relationship. Which means, while this arrangement is ongoing, neither of us has any other partners, be it romantic or sexual. For the obvious reason that it would be an asshole move to be fucking someone else while the other party in the relationship is completely unaware and nonconsenting, and that I really don't care to get an STD. Speaking of which, both of us are going to get tested, just to be safe. Are we in agreement, River?"

"Yes," River said, without hesitation. _Playboy Kiyoshi Nakano isn't as much of a playboy as the media thinks_ , he thought to himself bemusedly. It was definitely reasonable, though.

"Good. Finally, arguably the most clichéd, but necessary," Kiyoshi said. He ran a hand through his hair again, fixing River with an insistent gaze. "This arrangement will be strictly sexual. I have neither the time, nor the energy – and to be honest, the will – to be in a full-fledged romantic relationship at the moment. This arrangement will be limited to the physical – sex, if we're going vanilla, scenes, if you agree to BDSM – and nothing more."

River fidgeted nervously under Kiyoshi's dark, almost-glare. Kiyoshi seemed to soften, the corners of his mouth smoothing out and relaxing to recline backwards in his seat, turning his eyes upwards to the ceiling so that the weight of his stare was no longer fixated on River, which did make it easier for River to regain his head.

"Are we in agreement, kitten?" He asked again.

River hesitated for a split second. "Y – yes," he breathed. "Yes."

Kiyoshi nodded, leaning back forwards in his seat.

"And now," he said. "I need you to tell me if you're open to a BDSM relationship, and if so, your limits, your kinks, and your safeword, if you have one. You can have as much time as you want –"

"You can have an answer by tonight," River said, surprising even himself with his eagerness. Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow.

"You sure? I don't have a problem with waiting, if it means that neither of us are going to be hurt by this. Physically and psychologically."

"I'm sure," River said with conviction. "By tonight."

"If that's what you're set on," Kiyoshi said. "All right. Do some research, at least – you're a little familiar with BDSM already, clearly, but I want to be absolutely certain that you know what you might be getting into. Incidentally, how _do_ you know as much as you do?"

"Um," River laughed awkwardly. "I, um, I'm a twenty-one-year-old with internet access?"

"Fair enough."

Kiyoshi swiped his phone up, glancing down at the time. "Ah, shit, I have to go," he cursed, rising to his feet. "I don't suppose you know how to get back to your apartment from here – well, I guess you could," he reconsidered. "It's downtown, the subway's nearby – ah, fuck it, I'll call you a cab. Or you could stay here until I get back," he mused.

River blinked in surprise, staring up at Kiyoshi – he felt a little inferior, looking up at Kiyoshi's, who was standing tall above him. Coupled with their conversation, though, he couldn't help but feel a heady, dizzying rush.

"You all right with that, kitten?" He asked.

"I – I'm fine with that," he agreed, a little dazedly because of how abrupt the situation was than out of any opposition to it. He could simply text his friends, after all – not that he supposed they would worry much; their pact was that the police would be called if one of them disappeared for over forty-eight hours. Spontaneity seemed to be a defining trait of Kiyoshi's that he'd have to learn to expect, despite the irony of the situation.

"Great. I'll be back at – oh, fuck knows, hopefully by seven at the latest," Kiyoshi said, disappearing briefly into a room. He came back out, buttoning on a shirt, with a suit jacket draped over his arm and a tie hanging around his neck. "You can go anywhere in here that you want, try not to break anything – except for the hideous vase in the guest room, you can break that – and, ah, the Wi-Fi password is dwcseventeen, all spelled out, no caps. Do whatever the hell you want, it's unlimited. Leave the dishes, I don't give a fuck."

River followed him to the doorway. Kiyoshi paused for a second, his hand on the handle.

"Door locks by itself, it unlocks with a code and a card, not a key," he explained. His eyes were glinting. "Can I give you a goodbye kiss for you to remember while you think things over?"

"Y – yes, I'd – yes," River stammered, confused by the straightforwardness but not altogether disliking it. He leaned up on his toes, prepared for a quick, chaste kiss – but Kiyoshi pulled him closer with his free arm, tight around River's waist. River let out a surprised sound that quickly bled into a groan as Kiyoshi swiped his tongue over his bottom lip. He parted his lips, revelling in the contrast between Kiyoshi's tongue, hot in his mouth, and the coolness of the metal in Kiyoshi's lip against his.

"Ah, fuck," Kiyoshi laughed. He nipped at River's bottom lip, and his eyes darkened when River let out a faint whimper of arousal. "I'm going to be late, and Antara's going to murder me." He pulled away from River and pushed the door open.

He stopped for a second before leaving, beckoning River closer. He leaned in, and felt Kiyoshi's breath stirring the hair by his ear, shivering at the sensation.

"Be good, kitten," Kiyoshi murmured.

The door shut with a quiet _click_ , leaving River hot and unsteady, and wondering in slight despair how on earth he was going to get rid of his now very much present, insistent arousal.


	10. Chapter Ten

_**Note**_

 _I'm not sure where this came from. I guess I won't have access to my laptop or the internet for about a week, so I wanted to get something tangible done on this. It is actually the longest chapter for this that I've written to date, though it does contain a page break for a bit of a scene change in between._

 _As always, I will warn potential readers that this chapter is the first that deals explicitly with the BDSM lifestyle - specifically, a scene. It is not the most...traditional, I suppose, in terms of context. However, with the precautions taken and agreements made by the characters, there is no reason why either the submissive or the dominant would have been at any kind of risk. That being said, I would not really advise for anyone to follow this course of action taken, unless the dominant was one at least as experienced as Kiyoshi, and had a certain level of trust between both dominant and submissive. The content here includes detailed suggestions of many of the scenes that will take place during this work - bondage, sensory deprivation, punishments in the form of spanking/whipping/caning, humiliation, chastity, orgasm denial, feminization, fisting, and for fuck's sake, this is a ridiculously long list, but it's important to be informed before entering a BDSM relationship. Or really, any kind of relationship, but perhaps not with the same subject matter._

 _I do have more that I want to say, in terms of a dry rundown of the BDSM lifestyle, but that will continue on in another note at the end of the chapter._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River spent most of the morning simply lazing around in one of the guest bedrooms, taking advantage of Kiyoshi's Wi-Fi – and significantly more comfortable sheets. The most interesting thing to happen to him all day was takeout being delivered to the door, apparently sent by Kiyoshi. It was surprisingly thoughtful of him, River reflected, as he tried to make sense of the ridiculously complex kitchen to try and find a glass for water.

After he'd eaten, he finally turned his mind to the matter at hand.

 _BDSM._

He knew what it was, certainly. He'd stumbled across more than one videos of the nature when he'd been trying to figure out his sexuality – which, in itself, had been an enlightening and slightly traumatizing experience. He'd always been more than a little interested in it, and his…research, today, had only confirmed it.

There was something about being controlled, about being submissive and willing to someone's every whim that made his mouth go dry and his stomach flutter. And he couldn't deny that there was something even more appealing about Kiyoshi being the one to dominate him, to use him and degrade him…

The terms of the arrangement weren't unreasonable, not even entirely unexpected. It was the arrangement itself that had surprised him, really. In all honesty, River hadn't expected for Kiyoshi's interest to be held for longer than that first night in the club – and he definitely hadn't expected himself to keep craving Kiyoshi's touch.

True to his word, Kiyoshi returned a few minutes before seven. He peeled off his dark blue suit jacket and threw it over the back of a chair. "Christ, I hate people who work on Saturdays," he muttered, yanking at his tie to loosen it. River was abruptly reminded of their first meeting and felt heat start to creep up his neck. "Persistent, cranky assholes."

"Bad day?" River asked hesitantly, not sure if it was his place to ask. Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows, apparently surprised at the question.

"Not exactly," he said. "Hard one, maybe, but we got shit done, at least. Annoying, but productive."

River followed him into the living room, where Kiyoshi ended up collapsing down onto the couch. River followed suit, sitting down more conventionally beside him.

"Enough about my day, though. You do anything with yours? Come up with an answer for me, maybe?"

River swallowed. The room felt stifling, suddenly – darker, bolder, everything seductive and alluring. Kiyoshi had pulled up his shirt sleeves to reveal his toned forearms and the top few buttons of his shirt were loose so that some of his chest was exposed. His elbows were balanced on his knees as he leaned forwards, looking expectant.

"Yes," he replied, his voice a little hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes, I want to, to enter a BDSM a – arrangement with you."

Everything seemed to shift, at that moment. All he could see, all he was aware of was his body, Kiyoshi beside him, their proximity – his quickened breathing and the faintly crooked half-smirk on Kiyoshi's face, the warmth of Kiyoshi's body so close to his.

"Yeah?" Kiyoshi's voice was low and drawling, a little teasing with the faintest, darkly sweet undertone. "You sure, kitten? I won't be angry if you say no."

River nodded. "I – I'm sure."

"Prove it to me. What is it about the lifestyle that appeals to you, specifically?"

River's breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening. He bit at his lip nervously and reached up to tug reflexively on his fringe. He'd never said any of this out loud, not seriously, not as anything but a joke if he even touched on anything remotely close to the subject at all. There really hadn't been any reason for his friends to know at all – and though he hoped that they wouldn't mock or recoil away, there was always that persistent fear deep in his chest. And none of his past partners had really gotten it at all – if not immediately put off by the thought, too nervous, too hesitant, _this is fucked up, I shouldn't be doing this to you_ – and though he appreciated their concern, he couldn't help but feel resigned to his eternal frustration.

Now he was being given the chance to speak about everything, all of his desires, all of his most…depraved kinks. Kiyoshi was looking steadily at him, ever-attentive despite River's long pause, his eyes dark and expectant.

"Being, being made to – to," River whispered, his face flushed hot with a mixture of hot shame and arousal, his clothes suddenly constricting and the bleeding light of the setting sun suddenly jarring. "To lose control," he breathed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders at the admission, and yet feeling as if there was an unbearable pressure on his chest. "Being vulnerable, at someone else's mercy."

River swallowed hard, his face and neck burning. Kiyoshi reached over, his hand hovering over River's, clasped in his lap, the knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping himself to stay grounded.

"Can I?" Kiyoshi asked quietly. "I'm just going to put my hand on yours. Is that all right with you?"

River nodded jerkily. Kiyoshi rested his hand on River's. The skin on his palm was faintly calloused in places but otherwise smooth, and the feeling, the gentle pressure, was more than a little comforting.

"Easy, kitten. You're doing well. You don't have to be nervous, I'm not about to judge you."

River shook his head. "It's, it's not that I – that I don't know, that I'm, I'm not sure about this, it's just," he stammered. "I've never…not to anyone, not out loud…"

"Yeah, no, I get it. Well, we all start somewhere," Kiyoshi said. "It's fine. Take your time. Keep going, kitten."

A long, slow exhale that helped him to feel calmer, more himself. He did want this – and Kiyoshi was the one who had brought it up, after all. He plunged onwards, more confident. "Being degraded," he admitted. "Humiliated, and used. My only purpose to please my, my master," he finished, unable to repress a thrill at using the word."

"Good kitten," Kiyoshi praised him, and River nearly preened. It was a relief to be able to say everything aloud, to hear it ringing in his ears with a certain finality. "I suppose you'd like to know what's in it for me?"

At River's soft yes, Kiyoshi proceeded. "Fairly similar to yours – or rather, a counterpart to you, which makes everything easier. I like being in control, absolute, complete control over someone – over my submissive, molding them to be my perfect little pet, and demanding obedience from them for me to use, making them absolutely aware that they are mine, and mine alone to use. Are you following with me, kitten?"

"Yes," River breathed. His pants were now uncomfortably tight, his entire body flushed hot at the prospect, his mouth dry and his lips red and slick with the number of times he had bitten at them. Kiyoshi's hand was still on his, a steady, grounding pressure.

"Good." Kiyoshi's tone became serious, suddenly, authoritative and stern. "Now, let's make this clear – you, as the submissive, are the one that dictates most of the limits of this relationship." When River started at his vehemence, he paused for a second and glanced at his reaction. Seeing nothing discouraging, he continued. "Yes, I'm the Dominant, but whatever you tell me that you're not okay with, I won't do, regardless of whether or not that's something I'm into. If you safeword out, I will stop, regardless of whether or not you choose to tell me a reason, or if you even have a coherent reason at all. You set the basis of the rules. I'll add my own on, definitely; I have limits, too, and you need to be aware of them, even if I'm the one taking charge during scenes. You should know this already, but…"

"I do," River confirmed hastily. "Know, that is. Can I – what are your, your limits?"

Kiyoshi glanced at him, looking slightly perplexed. "I would've asked for yours, first…unless you want me to –" he seemed to understand River's hurried, fumbling, mostly incoherent explanation – he didn't want to go first, he needed reassurance that this was all right, that this was fine and acceptable and expected, "all right, then. Hard limits first. Ah, no scat, no watersports – honestly, I don't think I absolutely mind the idea of it, it's just, the cleanup," he grimaced. "Medical play, because really, I can't find anything sexy at all about hospitals, and I don't have the equipment for it, anyway. Ageplay, it just feels, ah, wrong. All forms of edgeplay – bloodplay, knifeplay, breathplay…I'll extend it to waxplay, too, because I don't trust myself not to scar someone for life," Kiyoshi admitted, frowning. "Lastly, ah, CBT. Cock and balls torture," he elaborated, though River's shudder was more at the thought of it than from confusion. "Electric stimulation, usually. It doesn't appeal to me, and I'm absolutely not trained, so even if I was into it, I wouldn't do it. Are you following so far, kitten?"

"Ye – yeah. And – and soft limits?" River asked. It was lucky, really, that Kiyoshi's list was straightforward and to the point, easier for him to remember.

"Not much. If I'm not absolutely opposed to things, I'm usually open to give anything a try. Feminization, really, is the only thing that I'd put under my soft limits. I'll make mention of exhibitionism, for what I consider to be obvious reasons, considering my, ah, _prominence_ , but it's not really something I'm against, just something we can't do. And, I suppose, gagging. Which I've done before and enjoyed, but really, kitten, the sounds you make are much too pretty for me to even think about gagging you."

River nodded to show his comprehension, but contrary to what he had hoped, Kiyoshi's direct, matter-of-fact list had made him even more flustered. He felt entirely ridiculous, both in the face of his incompetence as compared to Kiyoshi's cool composure, and the fact that he was reacting so utterly irrationally.

"You have a safeword, kitten?"

River nodded. "Mercy," he admitted, his voice quiet and tense. Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows at the tone, but let it slide.

"All right. We'll keep the colour system in mind too, though, in case you want to slow down but not actually stop. You're familiar with it?"

"Green for go," River recited automatically. "Yellow to slow down. Red for full stop."

"Good kitten." River's lips twitched up weakly at the praise, but he couldn't bring it in himself to feel anything besides crippling awkwardness and nerves. Kiyoshi glanced at him, a frown tugging at his lips.

"Problem?"

River hesitated, indecision and embarrassment battling with rationality that manifested itself in a fluttering stomach and a pang through his head, then sighed in defeat. "I just – it's weird, saying it, discussing it in your living room, when everything's so, so _normal,_ and – I just, it's not something that I ever, you know, advertise about myself, or talk about, or even usually think about, because _fuck_ ," he swore, a little uncharacteristically, but his voice was shaking and his breath was coming out in little, hitched pants, and his eyes were prickling treacherously. "It's weird, isn't it? And you're so calm, but I'm just a mess, honestly."

"Hey," Kiyoshi said, running his thumb over River's knuckles. "It's really not as weird as you think. I can't blame you, it's the first time you've really had any exposure to this, right?" River mumbled his assent. "It's a pretty big community. And really, it doesn't have anything to do with having a traumatic past or having these tendencies in everyday life – you don't have to think that you're less respectable, just because you like being treated a certain way in the bedroom. If it's too much for you –"

"No, no," River rushed to say. Though he'd read up on everything Kiyoshi had said, it was reassuring, to hear someone say it out loud with such a steady conviction. "I want this, I definitely want this, it just, everything feels so surreal. It's a little hard to believe that this is happening at all."

Kiyoshi appraised him, his gaze cool and piercing. Seeing, perhaps, the clear resolution behind River's fluttering nervousness, he seemed to reach a conclusion.

"Maybe we just have to get you into the mood, then."

* * *

After confirming, multiple times, that River was absolutely fine (more than fine) with being restrained and blindfolded, Kiyoshi led him to a room across from the master bedroom. River hadn't noticed it during the day; he hadn't really bothered going much of anywhere besides one of the guest bedrooms. It came as a surprise, then, to find that it was locked.

"It's a precaution," Kiyoshi said. "I've got guests in sometimes – I have to, because one of the unspoken rules of being a CEO is apparently that I have to invite a couple fucking assholes in to work on shit at some point. They don't investigate around, usually, but the last thing I need is for them to walk into my sex dungeon."

"Sex dungeon," River repeated faintly, because it did sound a little ridiculous when Kiyoshi said it, sounding vaguely pissed off and perpetually sarcastic. And the thought of a dungeon in a penthouse apartment was a little amusing.

"Well, it's more of a sex _renovated guest bedroom_ , but, well, semantics." Kiyoshi paused before pushing the door open, turning to look at River. "You remember the rules?"

"Green for – for a kink," River repeated. "Yellow, for a soft limit. Red for a hard limit."

"Good. And your safeword?"

"Mercy."

"Good kitten. What do you call me, when play starts?"

River swallowed. "Master," he whispered, and though arousal shuddered across his skin, the corners of his lips twitched upwards when he recalled the conversation. " _Not Sir, not Mr. Nakano, please. Short of it making me feel old, it reminds me of work, and fuck knows I won't be able to get it up then. And, well, last thing I need is to be conditioned to pop a boner during a meeting_."

"You ready?"

River nodded, his voice shaking with nervous excitement. "Yes."

The first thing that River noticed was that it was very different from the pristine, chrome-coloured modern sleekness of the rest of the apartment. The blinds were drawn shut, so that no sunlight reached the room at all. All a dark, wine red and solid black, lit with a dim light. The lofty bed was the center of the room, black supports arching up imposingly above it, with…straps protruding from the four corners. All along the walls, there was equipment hanging – harnesses with silver glints of metal, long, slim floggers, a shelf of penetrative toys…

"Clothes off," Kiyoshi said, his quiet voice carrying through the silent room. It was an order, but his voice was still soft and his posture relaxed – a confirmation, for River, that play hadn't started yet. "Onto the bed."

River shrugged off his jacket and stripped of his clothes. Naked, his heart pounding in his chest, he slipped over to the bed and sat down. He glanced up at Kiyoshi, waiting for another order.

"Lie on the bed, arms and legs spread."

The sheets were soft, slippery against his skin. He stretched his arms upwards, skimming across the material with his fingertips. Spreading his legs apart came with the realization that the bed was incredibly vast, which made him feel all the more vulnerable – small, even spread out as he was, meekly, obediently waiting for orders.

"I'm going to restrain your hands, now." The words were accompanied by the soft _shink_ of metal on metal, a sound that sent shivers down River's spine and made his eyes widen.

River couldn't crane his head upwards to see, but he felt cool leather close snugly, first around one wrist, then another, and heard the faint _clink_ of the short metal chain that attached the cuff to the strap as Kiyoshi tugged on it.

"Too tight?" He asked.

"No," River said faintly. It was taking a great deal of effort to try and clamp down on his arousal – something that was a little embarrassing, considering play hadn't even started yet. ""Keep, keep going."

The same process was repeated with his ankles, the leather pulled snug around his skin. He tugged experimentally, and found that there was a little bit of slack for him to move each of his limbs a couple of inches, but not nearly enough for him to be able to sit up.

 _Enough to struggle a little, but not nearly enough to resist_ , he thought, and his breath caught in his throat at the prospect.

"Lift up your head, kitten. I'm going to blindfold you."

The red blindfold was silken, something Kiyoshi seemed to be partial to. River didn't mind in the slightest – the softness was pleasant against his skin. The plunge into darkness made him suddenly hyperaware, ears straining for every sound of movement, every touch amplified a hundred times against infinitely more sensitive skin, and his eyes flickering behind closed eyelids in a vain attempt to see anything beyond faint suggestions of shadows.

"Everything all right, kitten?"

"Yes," River breathed, completely still but for the rise and fall of his chest. Motionless, quiet, obedient…submissive.

"Good. The scene starts now."

A shift settled heavily over them. Kiyoshi's voice lowered, darkened, and all River could do was wait, prone and vulnerable and completely at his mercy. He craned his neck, trying uselessly to see where Kiyoshi was, but to no avail.

Suddenly, there was the sensation of Kiyoshi's hand, resting cool on his flushed chest. "Mm, naughty." River felt a shiver run down his spine. He flicked out a tongue to wet his parted lips, staying very still as Kiyoshi seemed to circle around him, the presence of his hand gone. "I might need to do something about that. Tell me, what should I call my kitten when he's being punished?"

River let out a shaky, shuddering exhale. "Ah –" he gasped as Kiyoshi ran his fingers down his arm, jerking a little in surprise and hearing the chink of the cuffs again. "Slut," he whispered. "Cockslut. bitch, whore" he broke off with a sharp inhale as Kiyoshi pulled away, leaving his skin cold and bare.

"Like being degraded, humiliated, then, my little slut?" Kiyoshi probed.

"Green," River said breathlessly. "Master," he added, feeling himself flush hot with arousal.

"Being punished? What if I spanked your ass with my hand until you were crying and begging me to stop, hm?"

"Green, Master," River gasped, shuddering when Kiyoshi stroked his hand across his cheek, the lightest touch jarringly different to the growled prospect of punishments.

"What if I went harder? Took a cane to you, left a few marks so you'd remember what a naughty little bitch you'd been?"

"Green, Master."

"And a whip, marking up that delicate pale skin, all up and down your back? Or maybe a flogger, so this little cockslut would really remember not to disobey his Master?"

"Green, green, Master," River said fervently, fidgeting restlessly. His arousal was already evident, his cock half-hard from the idea of being punished alone.

"That's right, whore, I'm your Master," Kiyoshi said, sounding darkly pleased with the way the word fell easily from River's lips. "And I won't hesitate to discipline you if you're not following my orders," Kiyoshi purred into River's ear, making him shiver and his breathing quicken. His voice was low, soft, almost loving in the way he seemed to relish the idea of punishing River – and that alone made River vibrate with excitement. "Now, what do I call my good little kitten that obeys my orders?"

River made a soft sound in his throat when Kiyoshi brushed against his thigh, but rushed to respond. "Pretty boy," he uttered. "Good boy…pet," he admitted. "Kitten," he added, blushing furiously, fidgeting in his restraints.

"Pet." Kiyoshi seemed to taste the word on his tongue, almost thoughtful. River let out a breathy whine at the word. "Would my little pet like petplay, by any chance? Would he like it if I put a collar on him, and made him crawl on his hands and knees on the floor, completely naked except for a buttplug with a little kitten tail in his ass?"

"Green, Master," he panted, burning with the idea of the humiliation, the utter sense of belonging to Kiyoshi so absolutely that nothing else mattered.

"So my little slut likes being owned, does he?" River nodded frantically, yes, yes – "what if I was the only one that was allowed to get you off, hm? If I put you into a cock cage so that you couldn't even touch yourself, just to remind you that your pretty cock doesn't belong to anyone but me?"

River let out a whine at the idea, shuddering with pained arousal. "Green, Master."

"Mm," Kiyoshi hummed. "I imagine that my kitten would get quite frustrated, the little slut that he is. He might even beg for me to take care of his problem for him, and I might just let him, because I imagine that'd be quite a pretty sight, his cock red and leaking in the cage and him on his knees, crying, begging to come…should I make you beg, whore?"

"Green, Master." River's voice had gone high-pitched, almost a whining cry. His cock was undoubtedly completely hard, and every single one of Kiyoshi's unexpected touches on his skin, made electric and shocking by his inability to see and flinch away, was exhilarating.

"My bitch likes to be teased," Kiyoshi mused, his lips brushing across River's collarbone and making him keen, stretching upwards and tugging restlessly at the cuffs. They held fast, the leather constantly rubbing against his skin, an ever-present reminder of Kiyoshi's control over him. "What if I didn't let him come when I was fucking him, hm? If I made him wait for permission, if I told him to wait for his reward like a good boy?"

"Green," River nearly sobbed at the prospect. "Master."

"And if I decided that my whore didn't deserve my cock, if I teased him with toys instead? If I made him fuck himself on a dildo instead and watched my desperate slut get off on a rubber cock? Or if I teased him with anal beads and set them to vibrate up his tight little ass…would my whore like that?"

River was sobbing, gasping as Kiyoshi brushed his fingers across his swollen, sensitive nipples, jolting so hard that his back left the bed for an instant. "Green, Master."

Kiyoshi toyed with his nipple, rubbing the bud under his fingertips and eliciting a high-pitched whine from River's throat. "What if I decided that I didn't want to wait for my kitten to prep himself? If I made him wear a buttplug, stretching him open all day so he'd be loose and ready for me when I wanted him? Or maybe I'd take prepping him a little too far, and decide that maybe he could take my fist up his ass?"

"Green, green, Master."

"Mm," Kiyoshi seemed to contemplate for a second, continuing to tease and abuse the sensitive skin of River's nipples, making him whine and thrash as best he could in the cuffs. The reminder that he was held tight, though, only served to further his arousal. "What about cuckolding, if I made this slut watch as I fucked someone else in front of him –"

"Yellow," River breathed, revealing his first limit. "Master."

Kiyoshi stroked across his cheek once, and it seemed to be a reassurance that he had heard. The moment was gone, seconds later, but it was enough. "Interrupting me when I'm talking? Is it your place to do that, bitch?"

River inhaled, a long, shaky breath. "No, Master. Sorry, Master."

"That's right, bitch. If it happens again, I'll have to punish you."

A physical shudder of arousal shivered down River's body. "Yes, Master," he whispered. "Please…" he moaned, when Kiyoshi tugged at his nipple, hard.

"Don't you look pretty like this, all spread out and hard for me," Kiyoshi commented. "What a pretty boy." River preened under the praise as best he could, straining upwards into Kiyoshi's touch with soft, breathy whimpers. "You think you would look good in a dress, pretty boy? If I called you a sissy boy, dressed you up in pink and really made you my bitch?"

River was silent, unsure how to answer. "I – I don't know, Master," he whispered, shivering when he felt Kiyoshi trail his fingers teasingly down his body, past his stomach and achingly close to his cock.

"Mm, let me make it a little simpler for my kitten. You want to be a pretty little sissy boy?"

"Red," River said quickly. "Master." He shied away automatically at the thought of it. First hard limit.

The gentle pressure of Kiyoshi's thumb, sweeping across his jawline, another silent acknowledgement. "And if I used it as a punishment, kitten? Humiliated you like the little cockslut that you are?"

"Red, Master," River said again.

"Mm, Then, does my kitten like being pretty for me? Pretty little panties stretched tight over that pretty little cock and ass – would my pretty boy like that?"

River took a shuddering breath. "Green, Master."

"I can imagine my kitten in tiny, skimpy silk panties," Kiyoshi murmured, his voice low and growling with lust. "Black, maybe red, looking absolutely gorgeous against his skin, maybe with some lace against his thighs. Maybe after he's been spanked, so his red ass peeks out." Kiyoshi's mouth was suddenly hot on his, drawing out a moan from River, yanking upwards to try and pull him closer but completely unable to because of the restraints. They rattled musically as he strained upwards, seeking the heat of Kiyoshi's mouth, his body, his touch. "And maybe I'd make him come in them, touching him through those panties, seeing him leak onto the front of them and ruin them, show him what a dirty little slut that he is."

"Yes, Master, please," River begged, his arousal so prominent that his cock was achingly hard and no doubt beading with precome. "Master, I – I need…"

"Hm, my kitten's been a good boy," Kiyoshi said musingly. He flicked at the tip of River's cock and made him let out a wild cry of pain, his heart racing in his chest and his entire body going hot. "Does he deserve a reward?"

"Yes, Master, please," River whined, yanking at his restraints. "Please, Master, want – want to –"

"What does my pretty boy want? Does my good boy want Master's cock?"

"Want – want Master's cock," River gasped. "Want to suck Master's cock, want Master to, to come on my face…"

"Want to make me feel good, do you?" River nodded, whined a plaintive yes. "Such an eager little kitten."

Kiyoshi's presence beside him was gone, and River heard the sound of clothes being tossed carelessly aside to the floor. Moments later, the bed dipped with Kiyoshi's weight, evening itself back out seconds later. River tossed his head back and forth, trying to tell from faint impressions and shadows what was going on, but it was all the more thrilling and electrifying when everything was unexpected.

"I'm going to fuck that pretty little mouth until you choke," Kiyoshi growled. "I'm going to show you that you're mine to use, however I want. You want my cock, bitch? Take it."

Kiyoshi's hard cock pressed at his closed lips. River opened his mouth, slipping his tongue out and lapping eagerly at the tip, tasting the bitter saltiness. When it nudged insistently at his lips, he parted them, taking as much of it as he could down his throat.

It was degrading, entirely humiliating, gasping and panting for breath as he licked and sucked at Kiyoshi's stiff cock, spit running down his chin and unable to use his hands to do anything at all but to strain uselessly at the cuffs. And yet it made arousal pool low and hot in his stomach, made his body shudder and hum with the ecstatic pleasure.

Kiyoshi thrust upwards into his mouth and he choked, gagging on the burn of his cock at the back of his throat. His eyes were streaming, leaking into his hairline from behind the blindfold.

"That's right. Worship my cock, you little slut. Keep on working that filthy mouth of yours."

River sucked until his cheeks were hollowed out, swiping his tongue across the thickness of Kiyoshi's cock, unable to repress little whimpers and sobbing moans as Kiyoshi fucked harder into his mouth, making his eyes and nose burn and his mind almost delirious with pleasure, his neglected cock aching and making everything infinitely more pleasurable.

Kiyoshi pulled his cock out of River's mouth with an obscene pop and a whine of protest from River, who was panting for breath, flushed and sweating. There was the slick sound of wet skin on skin – and less than a second later, hot spurts of come splattered across his face, coating his cheeks and his lips. He gasped from the suddenness, blinking behind the blindfold. He sucked at the come on his bottom lip and bit down hard as he came with a cry. Come streaked across his stomach, wet and sticky.

"Dirty, depraved little slut," Kiyoshi almost crooned, coldly pleased in River's loss of control. The sound of River's panting was the loudest sound in the room, his chest heaving. Everything was starting to blur a bit around the edges, going darker, quieter, softer. "Came just from sucking my cock, did you?"

"Yes, Master," River replied. His throat ached, but it didn't seem to matter – not enjoying the burn, exactly, but as if it wasn't all that important, not a part of him at all. Nothing mattered, except that he could respond to Kiyoshi, obey his orders, be a good kitten for him all day.

"Look at what a mess my little slut's made of himself," Kiyoshi observed. He roughly swiped a finger through the come on River's left cheek. "Clean yourself up," he ordered, using his finger to tap at River's lips.

He sucked obediently on Kiyoshi's finger, tasting him, diligently licking him clean. Even though he was still blindfolded, he closed his eyes in a strange state of bliss, still meekly licking Kiyoshi clean.

"That's a good kitten," Kiyoshi praised. River made a soft sound at the back of his throat, almost too dazed to make any sound at all.

"Play time's over," Kiyoshi declared, already starting to undo the blindfold, and swiftly, the blindfold and the cuffs fell away to leave River blinking dazedly in the dim, jarring light.

"Ah," Kiyoshi laughed quietly when River attempted to burrow into the warmth of his bare chest, feeling suddenly, strangely cold. "You're so out of it," he said, his voice warm with amusement. He rubbed a hand in slow, gentle circles across River's back, slipping the other arm under his curled-up legs. "Come on, kitten. Let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

 _It is my goal to try and accurately represent the BDSM lifestyle, but then again, plot_ does _occasionally get in the way - a dry discussion of limits over dinner, let's say, while absolutely essential, is not necessarily the most entertaining thing to read. That being said, the play that takes place here has enough boundaries set that I would consider it safe, as a submissive - but each person has their different limits and each pair has a different dynamic and initial bond._

 _This is the part where I will explain, dry, and without plot, some key considerations of the BDSM lifestyle. Reading this isn't necessary to enjoy_ Larkspur _, not at all, but none of my notes usually are, unless you read for the warnings. However, if your goal is to understand, I will do my best to explain. You could also just google_ BDSM _on the internet, but that would also probably give you a great deal of porn videos._

 _1\. Safewords are incredibly important, for both the Submissive_ and _the Dominant. Dominants can be overwhelmed, too, despite the fact that they are the ones that take control during a scene. A safeword is a word that will be said to immediately stop play, no questions asked. River's is a common one, but it can be anything that the submissive wants, provided that it is something they will remember and will not say accidentally during sex - something like_ stop _or_ no _, for example, would not be likely to work, since there are many kinds of play that are centric on some degree of consensual, ah,_ resistance _, on the part of the submissive. Kiyoshi's isn't actually said in this chapter, but both River and Kiyoshi agreed to keep the colour system in mind, which means it would have been easy for him to simply call_ red _if he felt that he could no longer continue play. Always, always agree on a safeword before engaging in any type of play, even if it is simply using the colour system._

 _2\. Discussion of limits is just as essential. Each person has things they will and will not do. A hard limit is something you absolutely will not do, under any circumstances - a common one is_ edgeplay _, because of the degree of risk involved. But a hard limit can absolutely just be something that's just not sexually appealing to the individual as well. Regardless of whether someone gives a reason for their limits, like Kiyoshi does, or doesn't elaborate, like River, they absolutely must be respected. A soft limit is something you might be open to doing, after time. It is for this reason that Kiyoshi makes mention of feminization during the scene, but doesn't touch on edgeplay, ageplay, etc.. In time, a soft limit might become something the pair is willing to try, whereas a hard limit is not nearly as negotiable. Have an idea of appealing and unappealing kinds of play before entering a BDSM relationship - all the services I've encountered have had consultation sessions available, though generally not for those that are completely ignorant to the lifestyle._

 _3\. Subspace and the lesser emphasized, I'd say, topspace, are both things to keep in mind. River has ended up in subspace twice so far, once towards the end of this chapter, and a slightly more watered-down version a few chapters previously. Subspace is characterized by the submissive feeling, in essence, completely submissive - as if they could follow orders, obey the dominant forever, and a sort of dissociation with physical feeling and emotion, and detached from reality, and usually a loss of coordination as well. It is not technically dangerous, but it can be if the Dominant is not alert and aware enough to notice that the Submissive is no longer completely alert. It means that they will not necessarily respond to pain, and will sometimes become nonverbal and unable to say their safeword even if things register as becoming overwhelming. This is why nonverbal_ _'safewords', or rather, gestures, are also required, in case of such a loss of the ability to verbalize. This is also used when the submissive is gagged or otherwise rendered unable to speak. Kiyoshi and River did not have one because of the setup of the scene - the fact that Kiyoshi was constantly asking questions and waiting for a response means that a lack of one would have alerted him to the fact that River was no longer able to verbally respond, and he would have stopped play once that had occurred. Topspace is the Dominant equivalent of subspace, where the top, the Dominant, feels as if they are completely in control and could keep giving orders forever._

 _4\. Aftercare is something that has been mentioned, but not explicitly shown - but it will definitely make an appearance soon, perhaps in the next chapter. Aftercare is extremely important, and takes place after a scene is completed. The duty usually falls to the Dominant, though it is not always the case. Generally, the Dominant is to take their Submissive, usually in subspace, out of the confines of the scene - in this case, removing River's blindfold and his restraints and cleaning him up. Physical contact is incredibly helpful, as is, really, any kind of attention to comfort the partner in a vulnerable state._

 _5\. Neglect of aftercare can lead to something called a drop - either a subdrop, which is generally more common, or a topdrop. The scientific explanation is a sudden crash of endorphins and adrenaline after or even during a scene, and causes symptoms very similar to depression. The magnitude will depend on the intensity and nature of the scene. Symptoms can manifest between 24-72 hours, and can last up to two weeks. The reason why Dominants, or tops, experience this less often is because they do not usually reach the levels of high adrenaline that Submissives usually do._

 _Really, I would have included less of an, ah_ , abrupt _ending to the chapter, but I'm already well over 6k words. I suppose it will simply be something to look forward to in the next chapter._

 _\- asterire_


	11. Chapter Eleven

_**Note**_

 _Nothing explicit in this chapter, but some brief mentions of events in previous ones. Next chapter will be the first official scene._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River came to on Kiyoshi's bed, still naked and his skin slightly damp from where he'd been wiped down. Kiyoshi's arm was curled around him so that River was tucked into his side, his head resting on Kiyoshi's chest.

He blinked a few times to try and clear his head then turned his head to glance up at Kiyoshi's face, to see that Kiyoshi was watching him with amused interest.

"You're clingy when you're in subspace, kitten," he commented, flicking his eyes downwards to indicate how tightly entangled River was with him. River blushed.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"Oh, don't be." Kiyoshi waved him off. "It's past ten; you were out for nearly twenty minutes. Got pretty high then, did you? Guess you must've enjoyed it."

River buried his face into the pillow past Kiyoshi's shoulder, his face burning. "I, I did, yeah," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"So did I. Wasn't expecting it to take the turn that it did, though," Kiyoshi said casually, and River flushed harder at the memory of him begging Kiyoshi – _oh God_. "Can't say I didn't like it, though. A lot."

River raised his head from the pillow, grinning a little lopsidedly in response to Kiyoshi's crooked smirk. "Hah, no doubts about how much I'm into this anymore?"

"None at all," Kiyoshi confirmed, his eyes bright with playfulness. "We didn't really cover every kink under the sun, but that would've taken fucking forever – ah, no pun intended – and I think this is a decent place to start."

"Yeah," River agreed. They fell into comfortable silence, and River focused on the motion of the rise and fall of Kiyoshi's chest, his head pillowed back onto it, and the quiet hum of the lights. It was relaxing, and he felt airy and light, with hardly a care in the world.

"I should go," River said finally. "I, um, have to celebrate Sofia's birthday with our friends tomorrow."

Kiyoshi hummed in acknowledgement. "Want me to call a cab for you, kitten?"

"Uh, no," River said. "I can walk back."

All of a sudden, Kiyoshi was propped up on his elbow, and River had two fingers under his chin and was being guided to make eye contact with him.

"Look, either you take a cab, get a ride, or use public transit – and honestly, I'm not a big fan of the last one, for the same reason I'm absolutely not letting you walk back to your apartment in the dark, downtown, in one of the biggest cities in the country."

River blinked, a little taken aback. "Um, fair enough."

"Exactly. And if this is about not being able to accept my money, I'm going to assure you that I have more than enough."

"I'll, um, take the cab, then," River agreed. "But you don't have to -"

"Kitten, you're a university student. You absolutely have no money to spare. I know, I've been there. Just let me pay for the fucking cab."

Kiyoshi still had his arm curled warm around River's waist, and maybe that was what made River sigh and nod compliantly. Despite the firmness of his tone, there was an underlying, genuine concern, only deepened by Kiyoshi's proximity.

He couldn't resist a sarcastic comment, though.

"I thought I was supposed to be your sex partner, not your sugar baby."

Kiyoshi laughed. "Don't tempt me, I might give into the impulse. Go get dressed. And pass me your phone," he added suddenly.

River's phone turned out to still be in the pocket of his jacket. He passed it over to Kiyoshi (still shirtless, but now wearing loose sweatpants that was almost a shock; he'd never seen Kiyoshi in anything but suits before) as he was pulling on the jacket and watched as Kiyoshi tapped something out.

"You're not making this 'resisting the sugar daddy lifestyle' thing easy," Kiyoshi teased. "Your phone, kitten. It's truly terrible."

"It's functional," River argued, half-laughing. "I can text, call, take pictures, listen to music - and access the Internet. I'm fine."

"Darling," Kiyoshi sighed, shaking his head. "I own a software development company. We _make_ phones. I'm a little offended."

River felt a flutter of excitement at the endearment - it was something thrown out easily, almost without thinking. It was different, somehow, from all the words of praise that Kiyoshi had uttered during the scene, now that they were exposed in the bright lights of his apartment and

Kiyoshi finished doing...whatever he was doing in River's phone, then handed it back him.

"My number," he explained. "Easier for us to communicate than, let's say, chance meetings at tea cafés and after lectures."

River half-blushed at the reminder, of the fumbling awkwardness and wide-eyed surprise in the face of a composed, cool drawl. It hadn't been all that long ago, less than a month since the interview. But everything was so altogether _different_ , now, as if the world had tilted and shifted and the very orbit of the earth had changed.

"You should go down," Kiyoshi suggested. "I'll text you, make sure you haven't been snatched off the street or some shit while you're waiting."

It was at the doorway that River hesitated, lingering for a few moments.

"I'll see you again, what, same time, next week?" Kiyoshi queried. River nodded, a little taken aback by how casually Kiyoshi could talk about - well, anything, really, but in particular, their arrangement.

"Um, Kiyoshi?" He asked, a little tentatively, not quite sure how to approach it. His curiosity was gnawing at his mind, though, and it was something important. Kiyoshi made steady eye contact with him, his head cocked slightly to the side and his eyebrows raised, casually, almost disinterestedly questioning

"What's your safeword?"

There was a heartbeat of silence, where River startled and started to draw back, apprehensive that he'd said something wrong. Kiyoshi looked down at him with dark, fathomless eyes that sent him plunging, spiralling dizzily into their depths.

"Larkspur."

* * *

The moment River had forced the door open to the apartment, he was greeted by a wolf-whistle that pierced through the room and made him start.

"Shit, Riv, you've been busy, haven't you?"

River shot a half-hearted glare at Jun, which was lessened mainly by the fact that his face was flaming. He glanced accusingly at Kacey, perched on the end of the couch next to Jun, who shrugged a little guiltily.

"They asked where you went," she explained. "And, well, I didn't really want to lie."

"I didn't really want the two of them to know about it, either," River retorted. "Shit, what have you guys been saying? Gossiping, maybe?"

"Did you hook up with Nakano again?" Sofia called out, looking vaguely impressed.

"I - um, kind of," River said, casting his mind back to - _fuck_ , they really had had a lot of sex.

"Kind of," Sofia repeated. "How do you kind of have sex with someone?"

River winced. "No, uh, we fucked. We definitely fucked. I, um. He. We. We have an, an arrangement, now."

"An arrangement," Sofia echoed. "As in, a sexual relationship?"

"I, uh, yeah," River said, ducking his head down and reaching up to play with his glasses - but realizing belatedly that they weren't there.

Wordlessly, Jun thrust out his arm, holding out River's glasses, clearly not trusting River's ability to catch with his eyesight limited as it was. River took them and hastily slipped them on, wincing when everything immediately sharpened into focus after a day of blurred edges and softened corners. His eyes pricked with tears and he blinked furiously, trying to adjust.

His friends' faces were now sharply detailed. Kacey, at least, seemed mostly indifferent - but at least a little concerned. Sofia was nothing short of taken aback, almost shocked by River's answer, even though she'd been the one to ask. But of course, that was Sofia, always probing for answers, even if she knew she would probably regret them.

Jun seemed outwardly teasing, grinning, but his eyes were shrewd as he looked River up and down – an abrupt change from his formerly teasing tone. River almost cringed away from his gaze, forcing himself to stay neutral - though he knew his face would betray his anxiousness. He willed his fingers to stay still, but found that he gravitated back to pulling on his sleeves, nudging at his glasses, anyway. Jun clearly had something on his mind…

"Right," Sofia said - Sofia, always the peacemaker, the most willing to skim over anything unusual and go back to playful bickering and banter. "All right, well, we were planning on watching a movie. Tell Jun that he's a coward for not wanting to watch that new horror movie."

"Well, I'm not much of a fan, either," Kacey said mildly. "Action movie, anyone? Really, though, I'm fine as long as it isn't a rom com."

"Actually, I think I'll get to work on an assignment," Jun spoke up finally. "Won't have time to do anything tomorrow, will I?"

"I, ah, yeah, so will I," River agreed, not too willing to stay within the awkwardness in the room. "I've been, um. Haven't had time this weekend so far, since, you know..." he trailed off, wincing. Jun grimaced, too, likely from River's complete social ineptitude.

"Oh," Kacey said suddenly. "We're not judging or anything. It's just a little weird to think about, you know, Nakano. He's just...how old is he, thirty?"

"Twenty-seven," both Sofia and River corrected automatically. Kacey rubbed at the back of her neck, and though she still didn't look absolutely thrilled, a bit of the concern dropped from her face.

"Six years isn't terrible," Kacey said musingly, and her calm tone did serve to make River feel a little less like melting into the floor. Then again, the casualness of her words still made him shudder with slight embarrassment. "Or is it seven?"

"A little less than six, his birthday's in March," Sofia said. "I've done research," she defended herself from their surprise. "Look, I wanted to be informed for the interview. I mean, it's a little weird. It feels like he's entirely out of our league, you know?" (And River kind of appreciated the fact that Sofia didn't say _out of River's league_ ) "He's young, but still older than us, and he's rich as fuck, and he could absolutely be River's sugar daddy -"

River made a small, strangled noise, which turned into a choked laugh when he thought back to his earlier conversation with Kiyoshi. "No," he said. "Absolutely not, 'Fia."

"And he's hot as hell," Sofia continued, as if there had been no interruption at all. "Bet he has a six-pack."

"You're so goddamn shallow," Jun spoke up at last, at the same time River said, "he does."

"Oh, fucking hell," Sofia swore appreciatively, and River knew she would have wolf-whistled if she knew how. "What about his dick? Six inches? Seven? Nine, even?"

"So shallow," Jun repeated. He gestured at River to sit down, and River realized that he'd been hanging awkwardly in the doorway the entire time.

"God, Jun, you're so straight," Sofia said as she shuffled aside to make room for River. "If Kacey and I can appreciate girls, you can appreciate guys."

"But I do like girls," Kacey said, looking confused. "Sofia, that's kind of the point of being lesbian."

"Technicalities. So, River -"

"All right, since this conversation is, very clearly, not appealing to my incredibly heterosexual mind," Jun announced. "I'm off. Really, this time. See you all."

"So am I," River said hastily, because Jun didn't look uncomfortable, not exactly, but there was a familiar glint of purpose in his eyes. Jun shot him a subtle, meaningful glance. He stood up and followed Jun down their narrow hallway into their room at the end of the hall, watching as Jun closed the door softly behind them.

"You looked uncomfortable," Jun observed, collapsing down on their shared bed and wincing when the stiff mattress resisted. "So."

"You're not actually getting to work on that assignment, are you?"

"Hell no. And I'm willing to bet my share of next month's rent that you're not that academically responsible, either. You don't even _have_ any assignments due within the next week that I know of."

"Well, there's one due on Friday, but yeah." River sat down by Jun on the bed. "So, what's this about? You wanted to talk to me in private."

"As hopeless as you are to do with anything involving strangers, at least you're not entirely oblivious."

"Well, yeah, I'm familiar with all of the weird faces you make to get my attention. I've known you since freshman year."

"Oh, yeah, when you tripped during orientation and face-planted into my crotch."

"Jun," River begged, and though there was no one around to hear, his face flamed with his mortification. "That was four years ago, _please_ can we forget about it?"

"I can assure you that as a straight man, I've never once imagined what it would be like to have another guy's face between my legs, but I don't think I would've imagined it to be like that even if I wasn't absolutely not into dick -"

"Jun!" River half-shouted, laughing nonetheless even though his face was still burning. "You wanted to talk. Then talk."

"Oh, fine. I'm going to wash up first, though. I'm tired, and if the conversation gets awkward, I can just sleep."

 _Just sleep_ was Jun's way of avoiding just about any conflict. Absurdly enough, he was considerably less anxious than River was on a daily basis.

It was past eleven, nearly twelve, at this point anyway, so River elected to follow Jun's lead. The girls had the master bedroom, so Jun and River had to use the one across the hall from them. Jun always took longer in the bathroom than River did, but that gave River enough time to sit by the bed and gather his thoughts while he stared out the window.

The scene with Kiyoshi had been nothing short of electrifying, so much so that it was jarring to be in the normalcy of their dingy, cramped little apartment. The familiar, easy teasing from his friends did do its part in starting to shift his mind back down to earth, though. But even considering that, it had made him the slightest bit uncomfortable, the flippant, casual way they had discussed his and Kiyoshi's...arrangement, however briefly they had touched on it. This realization only made him more uncomfortable.

While River wasn't exactly the most promiscuous person among the four of them - that honour went to Jun, and even then, he rarely found time to indulge at all - he'd had his own fair share of the college experience, and had one or two boyfriends in the time he'd known his three friends. And it was easy to relate one night stands, usually laughing in embarrassment and amusement at their failures and shortcomings and occasionally discussing particularly memorable ones. And while Sofia was the one most likely to complain about her significant others, all four of them, usually together, had dissected in full the traits and characteristics of whatever partners they had, and always to the great amusement of the other three.

Talking about Kiyoshi seemed different altogether. Their arrangement hardly seemed real - even though River's cock was still sensitive and raw, and even though the marks Kiyoshi had made with his mouth were still very evident on him. It was almost impossible to believe that he and Kiyoshi had fucked, and even more difficult to believe that it was something they would be doing long-term.

More than that, though, there was something utterly untouchable about Kiyoshi - and, as Sofia has pointed out, he was very much out of River's league. What was a poor, anxious, debilitatingly awkward college student compared to incredibly wealthy, attractive, confident Kiyoshi Nakano?

"Your turn," Jun announced as he came in, wearing only a pair of sweatpants.

"Put some clothes on," River replied, slipping past Jun to the bathroom.

"I pay my share of rent, I get to wear what I want!" Jun yelled back.

Their bathroom was small and cramped, to match the rest of the apartment. It was a far cry from the sleek, modern design of Kiyoshi's...but the thought of Kiyoshi's bathroom only made River think of the things they had done in it, a line of thought that he quickly shoved away to avoid getting turned on, again.

 _This is worse than when I was a teenager_ , he thought to himself. _Fuck, this is ridiculous_.

River stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, trying to see something different in his reflection, to see if the shift he had felt internally in himself had somehow manifested itself physically. Wide brown eyes, blinking up through those long eyelashes that he'd never known whether he'd liked or not, full lips, perpetually tinted pink, a round nose and narrow chin. No, he looked the same as ever. He still felt dazed, as if he wasn't exactly on earth, though. He splashed his face with water, so violently that even his fringe and his shirt ended up soaking wet and plastered to him. He tugged off his shirt, grimacing, setting it aside, and tried to part his fringe away from his face.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom to see Jun lying on their bed, scrolling absently through his phone. He closed the door softly behind him, turning around to see Jun look up and do a double take, immediately throwing his phone aside.

"You have a hickey."

River started. Jun was staring at his bare shoulder, so he twisted, trying to catch what he was looking at - oh.

 _Kiyoshi's mouth, hot on his skin, hotter than the shower spray across his body…_

"Yeah," River said feebly. "Um, it's - I -"

"I really don't need details," Jun interrupted. "Like, I really, really don't need them. Please."

Jun's exaggerated grimace of disgust made River grin; it did a fair job of making everything seem normal, as things always were between them, no matter how different and changed River felt. He tried for a teasing joke.

"Well, shit, I was about to tell you about the hickeys all over the rest of my body -"

" _You_ can stop talking now," Jun announced, almost frantically waving his hands to stop River, making him laugh. "And cover that up, fuck, I can't look at it without thinking of you getting fucked. And you're a great friend and all, but that's really not something I want on my mind. Christ, there's another one on your hip - wait no, two - oh, _Jesus_ , I don't want to know how far those go down. Put something on, _now_."

"You're not wearing a shirt, either," River pointed out, even as he pulled one on - a baggy, oversized t-shirt that was faded from use and that could have belonged to either of them at one point.

"Well, I haven't been sleeping with a goddamn vampire like you have, by the look of things," Jun retorted. "Oh, God. I'm never going to be able to hear Nakano casually mentioned in conversation without remembering those."

"Stop being overdramatic, there are at least three girls that I can't ever talk to any more because I've walked in on them with you."

"Look, you have an incredibly bad habit of walking into rooms like you belong there -"

"We share a room, Jun. We share a bed. Which you've violated before, multiple times."

"Well, Sofia's had her fair share."

"Yeah, but Sofia doesn't sleep in the same bed as me."

"All right, fair enough." Jun shifted over to the right - his side of the bed, closest to the door - to make room for River, who always took the spot closest to the window.

"All jokes aside, though," Jun said, his voice seeming very loud in the darkness, once the lights had been turned off and the blinds drawn. "Are you...what's going on, with this?"

River turned his head on his pillow to glance at Jun. He was staring up at the ceiling, frowning. He wasn't sure how to respond, especially in the face of an uncharacteristically serious Jun.

"We're not dating, if that's what you mean," River said slowly, trying to decide whether it was the right thing to say or not. He couldn't tell if it was, because Jun's expression twisted into something that looked both like a grin and a grimace.

"But you're doing something," Jun surmised. "Long-term. River, you'd be the worst lawyer, you're shit at avoiding questions."

"You just know me too well," River half-teased, because Jun's voice was strangely cold and his body seemed tense, even lying down as they both were. It worked, a little. Jun laughed and shook his head, relaxing slightly, but the odd look on his face remained.

"You're an open book, Riv," Jun argued back good-naturedly. "So, to put it bluntly, you're Nakano's new boy toy."

Something flared inside of River at those words - hot, angry, even though Jun had only been teasing, even though he was, really, mostly right - perhaps because it was everything he was, truthfully, a little terrified of being. He didn't want to be another one in a long string of lovers, all of them ultimately discarded and meaningless. It would be humiliating, if nothing else. And logically, he knew that expecting anything more was ridiculously foolish, but he still ached, furious, to correct Jun, to prove that he was something more.

"I'm Kiyoshi's submissive, actually."

River's own voice surprised him - flat, almost icily cold. It seemed to surprise Jun, too, who stared at him uncomprehendingly for several moments before his eyes widened.

"Right," he said faintly. "Okay. You two are into some kinky shit. Oh, Christ. You're the last person I'd expect to be into this. Jesus fucking Christ. All right, okay, sure, you and Nakano have some kinky sex thing going on - wait, you call him Kiyoshi? He lets you call him _Kiyoshi_?"

River blinked, startled by the sudden change. Somewhere within Jun's appalled rambling, all the anger had dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, and it was with bemusement (and guilt over his sudden outburst) that he answered Jun. "He's been balls deep inside of me, Jun, what do you think?"

"Christ, I'm sorry I asked. Well, I'm sure he's done more than that. Or he will. Fuck, you don't seem the type to be into this. You're too independent to seem like you want to be controlled like that - fuck, I don't know, I'm not into this BDSM shit."

"Well," River started, but found that he didn't really have any words.

"Does this entail any sort of...physical shit?"

River shrugged, redirecting his gaze to the window. "As, as in?"

There was a grimace in Jun's voice. "Like...oh, fuck, I don't want to say it. Whipping, spanking, that kind of...?"

River was abruptly grateful that he'd turned away moments before, because his face flamed at the mention. "Among other things, yeah," he said, and if Jun noticed that he was a little breathless, his voice gone a little higher than normal, he didn't comment.

"Cool," Jun said faintly, and River almost laughed despite his mortification. "As long as it's what you want. If it makes you happy, I guess."

"I guess it is," River agreed. "Was this all you wanted to talk about? Confirming that I'm actually, um, doing it with Kiyoshi?"

"You're not really one to make things up," Jun said. "So no, it wasn't. It's just, look, I know you're capable of taking care of yourself, and God knows you've got your shit together _much_ better than I have, but still. Be careful. Especially around him."

"What do you mean?" Jun sounded tense and more than a little uncomfortable. "What, you don't approve of him or something?"

"Well, he hasn't really given me a reason to approve of him, has he? Everything I know about him is from news articles. And, well, that one time he came in to speak during our class. Look, River, I just want you to be careful what you do. I don't want you ending up hurt."

"He wouldn't hurt me," River said automatically, thinking back to the past few nights – _is this okay, are you still with me, can I touch you_ – "he'd never. Well, unless it was consensual. I trust him."

"I don't," Jun said flatly, and the bluntness of this admission surprised River. "And I don't mean being hurt physically, necessarily. But if he does that, I'll fucking fight him, too."

River let out a laugh – low, almost harsh. "Look, it's just sex. I appreciate it, really, Jun, but it's not going to happen. I know him."

For several long moments, there was silence. When Jun spoke up again, it was to a quiet, still, tense room.

"Do you, really?"

There was a sigh, and a creak of bedsprings as Jun rolled over. "You're right," he mumbled. "You've got this, you're fine. I'm sorry. Good night, Riv."

And with that, his breathing steadied and evened. But it was a while before River, still reeling and confused from Jun's words – _do you, really_ – even exhausted as he was, could drift off to sleep.


	12. Chapter Twelve

_**Note**_

 _The first official scene between River and Kiyoshi. This chapter consists of mentions of punishment, barebacking, orgasm denial, verbal humiliation/abuse, the use of collars and leashes, and, I suppose, rough sex. There is one point where discipline is carried out physically - which is to say, hitting. It's nothing extreme, but it might bother some people. It's literally just a light slap to the face._

 _Bear in mind that this is BDSM, and physical, verbal abuse is something that is agreed on by both parties. If I, for example, get off on being called_ whore _by my partner, that is perfectly fine, but that does not mean that I will tolerate any other fucker calling me that, or that it is somehow okay for anyone else to call me anything of the sort without permission._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

It was nearly ten when River stumbled his way into Kiyoshi's apartment, an apology already on the tip of his tongue.

"Sorry, I had to stay late at work, and then the bus back got delayed, I didn't mean to –"

"This isn't a job interview, kitten, punctuality really isn't all that important," Kiyoshi interjected from where he was leaning against the wall, scanning through his phone. River really wasn't sure how long ago he'd left work – he was still wearing a pale pink button-up shirt and dark grey slacks, but River had arrived nearly an hour later than he'd planned. "You could text me next time, though, if you're that concerned."

"Sorry," River repeated, for lack of anything else to say.

"Don't apologize. Test results are in, by the way. We're both clean."

River nodded – he'd almost forgotten about the doctor's appointment Kiyoshi had made for him the day after Sofia's birthday.

Kiyoshi set his phone aside and made eye contact with River at last, and River's breath caught in his throat.

"You good for this? It's not too late to back out."

River shook his head. "I, I want this," he said firmly.

"How much, kitten?"

Kiyoshi was easing him in, River realized, and he could feel the effects, slowly slipping into a burning arousal, welcoming the opportunity to submit obediently to Kiyoshi's authoritative control.

"I've been thinking about it all week," River admitted,

"Yeah? Were you looking forward to this, kitten?"

River nodded. "Yes," he said quietly.

"Eager, aren't you?"

"Yes," River repeated, the word master on the tip of his tongue.

"Your safeword?" Kiyoshi demanded, and the atmosphere shifted immediately – darker, sweeter, electrifying.

"M – mercy," River replied, unable to look away from Kiyoshi's dark, dark eyes.

"And mine?"

"Lark, larkspur." A shiver ran down his spine.

"And what am I to you, kitten?"

River swallowed. "Master," he breathed, heat coursing through his body at the way the word fell easily from his lips.

"Good. The scene starts now."

The room seemed to dim and enfold until the only thing that mattered was Kiyoshi in front of him, coolly, effortlessly commanding, dark shadows cast over the sharp angles in his face and his lean body. He leaned back against the wall, looking almost carelessly down at River through half-lidded eyes. The effect was instantaneous, a subtle but clear indication that River was not Kiyoshi's equal, that he had not earned his respect, the right to be treated as such.

"You kept me waiting."

It was a cool observation, and River felt a thrill of nervous arousal in his stomach. What he said next could tip his master either way. No matter what he said, though, he was entirely at his master's mercy.

"I'm sorry, Master," he said, dipping his head down apologetically to glance up at Kiyoshi through his eyelashes. "Let me make it up to you Master, please."

"Mm." Kiyoshi looked River up and down with a piercing, callous gaze. "Strip, now."

River obeyed immediately, shivering both at the vulnerability of shedding his clothes and the chill of the room. His nipples hardened in the sudden cold.

"Follow me."

River trailed obediently behind Kiyoshi, following him into the playroom. He glanced around as quickly and subtly as he could, wondering if there would be a hint of anything Kiyoshi had planned for him.

"On the bed, legs spread."

River spread himself out on the bed and waited with bated breath. The snap of the bottle of lube being opened made him start, but he didn't quite dare sit up to see what was going on.

The abrupt sensation of slick coldness circling teasingly around the edges of his hole made him gasp and jerk involuntarily away.

"Stay still, bitch, or I'll tie you up."

"Yes, Master," River gasped. "Sorry, Master, I'll be good…"

This time was nothing like the slow, careful preparation of that first hookup. Kiyoshi was deliberate, rough, barely giving River time to grow accustomed to the feeling of one finger sliding in and out of his entrance before two were stretching him out and making him cry out. His cock jerked at the burn of three fingers, the rough insistency, swelling so that he was hard and aching after minutes.

"Want more, slut?" Kiyoshi asked, calmly, coolly, as River was reduced to a shuddering mess below him.

" _Yes_ ," River panted. "Please, Master." He wanted to feel Kiyoshi in him, he wanted to be fucked as roughly with his cock as Kiyoshi was opening him up with his fingers…

But Kiyoshi simply responded by slipping in another finger, and while that made River let out a keen and spasm, his eyes going wide with the accompanying stretching burn, it wasn't enough. He squirmed on the bed, letting out a needy whine that made his cheeks flush hot with humiliation but made his cock twitch.

"Not enough for you? Greedy little slut," Kiyoshi reprimanded him, slowing his pace so that his fingers were teasing River agonizingly slowly, just barely brushing across his prostate. "You want more?"

" _Yes_ , Master, please…"

"I think I know what this cockslut wants. You want me to fuck you, want my cock deep in your ass?"

River arched his back and fisted his hands into the sheets, trying to grind onto Kiyoshi's fingers. It wasn't enough, no matter how much they stretched him out, they weren't thick enough, didn't go deep enough. That seemed to be answer enough for Kiyoshi, who drew his fingers away – and then drew away entirely.

"I don't think my kitten's shown me yet that he deserves my cock."

"I'll be good," River said fervently, still splayed on the bed in the vain hope that Kiyoshi would resume. "Please, Master."

"You're going to have to prove it to me, kitten."

River watched with wide eyes as Kiyoshi made his way to the rows of straps and chains hanging from the wall. Kiyoshi ran his fingers across them, slowly, deliberately, making River's mouth go dry as he processed what each one was and how Kiyoshi could use them on him…

He returned with something that glinted in his hands, something that slid silvery and snakelike over his long, slim fingers – a chain, River realized, and it was attached to a flat black ring of leather.

"Come here."

River stumbled to his feet, his erection hanging heavy and aching between his legs, his hole stretched out and still slick with lube.

"Chin up."

As soon as River obeyed, there was the sensation of supple, smooth leather pulled snug around his neck so that while he could breathe comfortably, every sound he made caused it to rub against the sensitive skin there, and every movement made him hyperaware of its existence.

 _A collar._ Kiyoshi had collared him, effectively declaring River _his_ , that River was no longer permitted to make his own decisions, to disobey. River was his to control.

There was a metal ring attached to the front of the collar that rested lightly against River's chest. On it, Kiyoshi fastened the chain and let it run through his fingers until he was gripping onto the other end of it. He tugged on it, insistently, but lightly enough that River didn't stumble forward with the force of it and only felt the pressure of the collar against his neck.

"Who do you belong to, pet?"

River made a soft sound in the back of his throat when Kiyoshi trailed his hands across River's naked body, teasing and fondling at River's sensitive nipples. He left River's cock well alone, so that the result was a mixture of sharp pleasure and agonizing frustration.

"You, Master," River gasped, shuddering at his touch.

"Mm, that's right. You're my pet, and don't you forget it."

A harder, firmer tug on the leash had River leaning forwards, almost falling. Kiyoshi caught him in his arms and kissed him – rough, possessive, as everything had been so far. One hand was still holding the leash, the other was pinning both of River's wrists together behind his back so that he couldn't reach up, couldn't do anything but moan into the blistering, bruising heat of the kiss. His hips bucked against Kiyoshi's, seeking some sort of friction that would alleviate his burning desire – and once again, Kiyoshi pulled away suddenly. River nearly lost his balance at the abruptness, still searching for Kiyoshi's lips, and a whine of frustration escaped him.

"You made me wait, pet," Kiyoshi said. "And it's not fair, is it, if I have to wait so long to take what's mine anyway? Maybe my pet's getting a little cocky. Maybe he thinks that he sets the rules around here – that he can stroll in whenever he wants, get satisfied like the cockslut he is, without realizing that I'm the one that decides whether or not he deserves it."

"No, Master," River shook his head, making the links of the chain leash clink musically together. "Didn't mean to…"

"I think you should be punished, don't you?"

"Master," River said, unable to vocalize anything else in that moment. _Punished._ The word sent a thrill through him and he had to suppress a physical shiver of anticipation. Kiyoshi's voice was low, crooning, and there was no doubt to River that he was absolutely serious.

Kiyoshi yanked on the leash. River followed after him – not that he had a choice, a thought that made him shift uncomfortably with the heaviness of his arousal – so that they were at a section of wall, bare but for a section of rings and hooks imbedded in the wall.

"Kneel," Kiyoshi ordered.

River lowered himself to his knees, shifting uncomfortably on the cold hardwood floor. There was a _clink_ of metal against metal as Kiyoshi attached the chain to the ring.

River twisted from side to side, his breathing quickening when he realized that the leash was pulled taut. There was no way he could stand at this distance without being yanked down halfway through the process, and the chain wasn't long enough for him to be able to lie down, either. The most he could do was back up against the wall, only a few inches away, and stand by flattening himself against it, or shift a little to either side. He was entirely, effectively trapped.

It was a good thing he was kneeling, really, because he was sure that his knees would've given otherwise.

Kiyoshi jerked on the leash, and when River startled to attention, before he could regain his bearings, Kiyoshi's mouth was on his again. River gasped, letting out a high-pitched keen as Kiyoshi's hand wandered downwards to fondle at River's balls, stroking along River's cock. Kiyoshi's teeth were caught in River's bottom lip and he nipped, hard, so that River groaned in response. His breathing grew heavier, and he tried to push up against Kiyoshi and made a noise of frustration when the leash yanked him back, he was nearly there, the edges of his orgasm curling around him – and once again, Kiyoshi pulled backwards and left River panting and dazed and so unbelievably frustrated.

"What a little slut," Kiyoshi commented. River had to look a mess, his lips red and swollen, his eyes dark and pleading. "So desperate to come, even when I told you to wait."

There was another tug on the leash that made River look up at Kiyoshi – which sent another thrill through him, to see Kiyoshi standing so tall and composed above him while he was confined to the ground, naked, with his arousal completely visible.

"Over at the wall," Kiyoshi said. River glanced over to see a small button, well within reach. "Press it, if my little cockslut can't take his punishment like a good boy."

"No, Master – I'll be good," he whined, even as he processed what Kiyoshi had said, past his commanding tone, past the degradation. _Press it, if it's too much for you._ A way out, if needed.

Which meant that they were in a scene where Kiyoshi was concerned that River wouldn't be able to simply say his safeword…so he would be either rendered unable to talk, or Kiyoshi wouldn't be able to hear.

"Will you?"

River nodded, the chain jingling faintly behind him.

"No touching," Kiyoshi said. "You're going to stay there, on your knees, and you're going to stay hard and willing and desperate for me, when I decide that you've waited long enough for me to want you. You are not to touch yourself, at all. If you do – and if you come before I decide you can – I won't be happy."

A shudder ran through River at the purred, subtle dark threat. He didn't know what Kiyoshi would do to him if he disobeyed, and he was utterly torn between being a good boy for his master and being a disobedient slut and finding out exactly how Kiyoshi would punish him for breaking his rules…

The door to the playroom shut with a quiet click that nevertheless resounded through River's ears. The only sound in the room now was his own breathing.

He was alone. He was leashed to the wall, he was naked except for a leather collar that was snug around his neck, and _fuck_ , he was so hard.

 _You're going to stay there, on your knees_

His knees were already starting to ache, and no matter how he twisted and fidgeted, he couldn't find a comfortable position. He could disobey, he could stand up, try sitting down…and the thought of Kiyoshi walking in and seeing him made excitement shoot hot through his body. River imagined how he must look – head bowed, restrained like a slave, a pet, to the wall, clearly docilely obeying someone else's will.

Y _ou're going to stay hard and willing and desperate for me_

River's erection hadn't faltered for even an instant throughout everything. Kiyoshi had been infuriatingly effective at building him up, only to pull away an instant before River could reach any semblance of satisfaction. His cock was achingly stiff between his legs, and even River's brief look back on the scene leading up to his current predicament made him gasp and shift restlessly, biting at his lip to try and distract himself from his arousal.

 _You are not to touch yourself_

Fuck, he didn't know if he could wait. Everything was so much – his knees aching on the cold floor, enforcing his submission, the collar rubbing against his neck that made him all too aware of his humiliation, the leash that clinked with every subtle movement that highlighted his helplessness. And most of all, Kiyoshi's voice, low, seductive, promising punishment if River were to disobey…

River brought a trembling hand between his legs and rubbed at the tip of his cock. He bit his lip harder to stifle his gasp – _God_ , it felt so good – and closed his hand around it.

There was nothing controlled or deliberate about it. He stroked quickly, almost fervently, straining at his collar. He spread his legs further apart to allow himself easier access and increased his pace, muffling his whimpers behind his other hand.

It didn't take long for him to come at all, as tightly strung and desperate as he was. His head fell back and he came into his hand with a strangled gasp, spilling all over his clenched fist. He would've collapsed with relief, but the leash kept him from doing so, still tugging insistently at the collar around his neck.

River had just started to think straight again, realizing what this meant, wondering what his punishment would be with a mixture of trepidation and excitement, when the door opened.

River started so violently that the chain rattled in protest and the collar dug painfully into his neck.

"Well, someone's been a naughty kitten."

River stared up at him with wide eyes, shivering slightly. Kiyoshi's voice was colder than he had ever heard it.

"Master," he said weakly.

A sudden _smack_ had River reeling backwards. His hand reached up to touch his face in shock – Kiyoshi had slapped him, hard enough to sting, enough to make his face burn with a mixture of pain and humiliation, but not nearly enough to leave a lasting mark. It was thoroughly degrading, and it made River stir with a burning excitement.

"Shut your mouth," Kiyoshi said. "Disgusting little slut. Couldn't even make it past ten minutes. I'm going to have to teach you a lesson that you won't forget."

The cold resolution in Kiyoshi's voice made River shudder. "Master, please," River gasped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"Not sorry enough to obey me, clearly."

Kiyoshi unclipped the leash from the ring on the wall – and then, to River's surprise, detached it from the collar as well. He hooked his finger through the ring in the collar instead and pulled River roughly along, so that River was left with no choice but to stagger after him. Kiyoshi all but pushed him onto the bed, and before River could gather himself together, he flipped him bodily around, so that River was splayed on his stomach.

"You're _mine_ , bitch," Kiyoshi growled into his ear, pinning River down with his own body. He was heavy and solid on top of River, and the sensation of Kiyoshi's body against his was already making his cock start to harden again against the soft sheets. "Only _I_ get to make you come, when I want, how often I want, how I want. You don't get a choice."

"Master –"

"Shut up, slut." Kiyoshi seemed to have gotten up. There was the sound of him discarding his clothes, before his now bare body was once again pressed insistently against River's. Kiyoshi's erection was stiff against River's ass, which was still slick with lube, and it made River squirm and his breathing quicken.

" _Mine,_ " Kiyoshi snarled again, and with a single smooth thrust, entered him.

River let out a scream, collapsing down against the bed. Tears pooled in his eyes at the pain, spilling over when Kiyoshi slid back out and slammed back into him, eliciting another strangled cry from his throat.

There was nothing finessed or deliberate about this. It was rough, Kiyoshi's hands digging so hard into his hips that River was sure they would leave bruises, the hectic, frenzied pace. This wasn't meant to pleasure him in the slightest, only to leave in his mind no doubt that he was Kiyoshi's to use and abuse as he wished.

And fuck, that was something that made River keen and whimper, that made his cock swell and stiffen.

Kiyoshi's hand suddenly clamped around his leaking cock, making River arch his back and let out a cry of agony and frustration.

"You're not coming again tonight," Kiyoshi growled. River let out a whimper of loss and denial, gasping when Kiyoshi thrusted roughly into him again. "Don't complain. Who do you belong to, slut?"

River cried out as Kiyoshi sped up his unrelenting pace, barely managing to get the words out. "You, Master –" he broke off with another scream.

"That's right," Kiyoshi said darkly. " _Mine._ You're a filthy fucking cockslut, but you're _my_ slut, understood?"

"Yes, Master –"

"Say it."

"I'm –" River moaned when Kiyoshi made contact with his prostate, jolting and yet unable to come, the pressure on his cock tight and restricting. He could feel himself slipping fast into subspace, could feel the way everything was fading to leave only him and Kiyoshi, the overwhelming urge to submit, to be a good kitten and obey. He rushed to speak before he lost all coherency. "I'm yours, Master, I'm your slut, I'm a slut for your cock, Master –"

Kiyoshi let out a stream of curses. His already frenetic pace quickened even more, and River thought maybe it should hurt, but everything was dizzying and euphoric, it was all so much in the best possible way.

Kiyoshi let out a groan, at the same time River felt himself filled with hot come. He heard Kiyoshi release a low, shaky breath, felt his body relax momentarily against his own before Kiyoshi was straightening up again, the pressure of his hand gone from River's cock. River lay flat on his stomach on the bed, his limbs having given way moments before, blinking dazedly.

"What a disobedient kitten," Kiyoshi said, his voice still commanding, but his features less harsh. The small part of River's mind that wasn't completely blissed out registered that he was starting to ease River out of the scene. "Made your master wait so long for that sweet ass, then wouldn't even give me the pleasure of making you come."

He rubbed a thumb across River's cheekbone. River blinked at the contact, turning his head to stare at Kiyoshi in slight puzzlement. Kiyoshi seemed to be almost holding back a laugh.

"Looks like I made my kitten cry," Kiyoshi observed. "You do look so pretty like that. But if only you hadn't disobeyed me, I could've made you feel so good."

"You did take my cock well, though," Kiyoshi said, his voice now much quieter. "Isn't it easier when you're being a good kitten, hm?"

River blinked again, but registered that he was being asked a question. His body didn't seem to want to cooperate with him, though, so he couldn't nod or shake his head. The best he could do was make a small sound at the back of his throat.

"Good kitten," Kiyoshi repeated again, gently. "All right, kitten. We're going to take care of all this. Give me a second, I'll be right back."

Kiyoshi disappeared from River's line of sight. River made a little, worried sound of loss, feeling suddenly very empty without his presence.

"Easy, kitten. I'm right here. Clingy, aren't you?" Kiyoshi reassured him. He was clothed, now, in loose sweatpants and a thin t-shirt. "Yeah, definitely clingy," he agreed, laughing quietly when River was lifted into his arms and immediately buried his face into his shirt. "Let's take a bath, shall we? I don't trust you to stand right now, really, even if you weren't in subspace. I'd apologize for what I did to your ass, but I'm not really all that sorry. Besides, you seemed to like it."

River made a sound of discomfort and attempted to burrow deeper into Kiyoshi's shirt when they entered the bathroom, the lights jarring and overly bright, prickling at his eyes.

"Oh, shit. Sorry about that, kitten," Kiyoshi apologized. Seconds later, the lights had dimmed so that they were no longer painful. River didn't particularly feel like bringing his face out, though, so he remained pressed up against Kiyoshi's chest, and felt the laugh rumble within it.

There was the sound of rushing water. Kiyoshi seemed to have taken a seat, because now, his arms were around River's body instead of supporting it.

"Cute," Kiyoshi commented. He drew something around River's body. River hadn't even realized that he'd been trembling, the parts of his body that weren't in contact with Kiyoshi's prickling with goosebumps.

Kiyoshi lowered River carefully into the water. All River registered was a pleasant, fuzzy sort of happiness when he felt a soft cloth rubbed against his skin and Kiyoshi's hands in his hair.

River jolted when the warm water lapped at his skin – and everything started to sharpen into focus. Edges of the bath – cool, slippery, water – warm, slightly fragrant, Kiyoshi – looking amused, sitting on the edge of the massive bath.

"Welcome back, kitten," said Kiyoshi. "Took you longer this time. But then again, we also went farther this time."

River laughed a little sheepishly, flushing slightly. "Not that far," he assured Kiyoshi, though he was sure that was something Kiyoshi already knew. His voice was a little hoarse. He cleared his throat and continued. "Thought you would've gone harder, actually."

"Oh, I will," said Kiyoshi, which made River stare blankly in surprise. "Next time we meet. Believe me, kitten, I've got some shit planned."

"Tomorrow," River said, before he could really think things through.

"Beg pardon?"

River swallowed. "I can – I can stay the night, if you want me to, I've got something from five to nine, but before that, I'm fine…"

Kiyoshi grinned his crooked little half-smirk. "I'm going to hold you to that, kitten. I take it you enjoyed the scene?"

"Yeah." River couldn't help but blush harder, remembering the things he had said, his reactions to Kiyoshi. "And – and you?"

"Mm. You really do say some incredible things, you know that? Not to mention how pretty you submit."

River rubbed his hands over his arms, laughing awkwardly. "Bet you say that to everyone, huh?"

"How many subs do you think I've had?"

"Um, I didn't mean –"

"I'm teasing you, kitten. I've only had one – two – others, long-term, outside of public dungeons. Dated around a bit, too, but some of them weren't into it, and some I wasn't all that into, either. It's just surprising when you say the things you do, knowing the way you are, usually."

It sounded eerily similar to what Jun had said, not expecting River to be a submissive. It was reassuring, though, to know that he didn't appear all that demure and meek on a regular basis.

"Water's getting a little cold, darling. You want to get out? You can borrow my clothes if you don't want to sleep nude. You should eat something, too – I probably have some shit in my fridge, or we can order in from somewhere."

River was so focused on the first thing Kiyoshi had said – darling, again, and he wondered whether Kiyoshi knew he was using the word or if it had just slipped out – that it took him a while to process the rest.

"Oh. Yeah, that sounds good," he agreed.

"Great. Hang tight, I'll get you something to wear."

The quiet calmness of the room gave River opportunity to think things over. So Kiyoshi had had others before him – well, that wasn't a surprise. Less people, actually, than River had expected.

 _You don't know him._

 _No,_ River thought. _Maybe not._ But he thought back to the way Kiyoshi's touch ignited something electric and fervent inside of him, the desire to submit and obey him, feeling the warmth of his actions during aftercare.

 _But that's all right. For now._


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_**Note**_

 _I was originally going to include more in this chapter, but it's nearly 6k as it is, so I ended up cutting it. This chapter includes chastity as well as spanking._

 _Because of the fact that I cut this chapter short, I will clarify something at the end of the chapter, which will also be included an in-story explanation and resolution in the next chapter._

 _Also, as a side note,_ Larkspur _hit 2k reads a few days ago. Thank you for the unexpected amount of attention._

 _And, I might as well make mention of the fact that I've finally added something to my profile. And it is actually nothing of substance but an open invitation for anyone to message me with their comments/complaints/requests._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

There was a slight chill over River's stomach, which made him squeeze his eyes more tightly shut and attempt to roll over, groggily bemoaning Jun for stealing the blankets again. He wasn't particularly successful. His legs seemed to be caught up, warmer than the rest of his body, preventing him from moving much at all.

River opened his eyes, squinting down at the somewhat blurry figure beside him.

 _Oh_. That was definitely not Jun – _right._

The t-shirt that Kiyoshi had given him was the only thing he was wearing. It had originally fallen down to his mid-thigh (it was already baggy on Kiyoshi, and on River's smaller, thinner frame, it was even more so), but it had ridden up during the night so that it was pulled up around his ribs. He had no idea where the blankets had ended up. Perhaps Kiyoshi was a restless sleeper and had kicked them off.

Their legs were tangled together, so even though River was facing the wall, his back was pressed flat against Kiyoshi's with the way they were intertwined. It wasn't uncomfortable, not really. There was only so long he could stare at the wall without getting bored, though, and he didn't want to get up and wake Kiyoshi.

River turned his head without moving the rest of his body. Kiyoshi was lying on his side with his neck twisted so that the back of his head was flat against the pillow. His long hair fanned out across the pale sheets, silky ribbons messy and a little tangled from the night's sleep. He slept with his lips slightly parted and his arms flung out – it seemed like River was right about him being a restless sleeper.

It felt strange to be staring at Kiyoshi when he was sleeping. It wasn't that he looked any different at all. His features were already usually relaxed, and River had already seen him in various disheveled states.

Still, he couldn't help but glance over at Kiyoshi for a moment longer. He hadn't taken out any of his piercings last night (River wasn't sure if he'd forgotten or if he just couldn't be bothered), so River could see a stud through his earlobe. He had the slightest shadow of facial hair, barely noticeable.

Kiyoshi slept almost entirely nude, with only a pair of boxer briefs on. River wondered briefly if he was cold, because of all the skin he had exposed. Judging from what he could feel of the heat of Kiyoshi's skin through his shirt, though, he seemed to be fine. Unlike Kacey, with her perpetually cold hands, and Jun, who always ended up gravitating to either hugging the blankets or, on occasion, latching onto River in his sleep.

Thinking of Jun prompted a faint sort of discomfort at the back of River's mind. All throughout the week, he'd been quieter than normal towards River. He could almost sense the disapproving disappointment that was no doubt swirling inside Jun's mind. He hadn't brought up the subject of Kiyoshi on his own again, but when either Kacey or Sofia mentioned him in passing, his expression would darken and he would look uncomfortable, uneasy. But it wasn't as if they hadn't disagreed on things before, and their friendship had certainly survived arguments on a much grander scale. There had been that memorable argument a year previously following a situation involving such an absurd amount of pent-up emotions that the neighbours had threatened to have the two of them both kicked out of the apartment, and River and Jun had ignored each other entirely for nearly two weeks. They would get over this, too. Especially since River wasn't doing anything wrong.

When Kiyoshi's eyebrows furrowed and he made a quiet sound, River nearly started, and thoughts of Jun were pushed to the back of his mind. Slowly, Kiyoshi blinked his eyes open. He glanced over at River (River coloured with embarrassment, having been caught staring), and a faint grin tugged at his lips.

"Sleep well, kitten?"

Kiyoshi's voice was rough and still a little blurred around the edges from sleep.

"Not bad," River said. He was made very aware of the fact that the only part of his body covered by the shirt were his nipples, which wasn't much help to him at all.

"You look a little, ah, frustrated."

When Kiyoshi edged closer towards him, River let out a gasp. He'd been trying to ignore his morning wood, something he was accustomed to doing, especially after having shared a bed with someone else for about two years now. But with the memories of the events of the night before, coupled with Kiyoshi's proximity, it was impossible for him to ignore his desire.

"Get dressed, wash your face, whatever. Your toothbrush is still in the bathroom. Meet me for breakfast when you're done."

River nodded, a little bemused at how quickly Kiyoshi had gone from being sleepy and unresponsive to being authoritative and utterly in control. He made to get up from the bed, blushing when Kiyoshi drew away first to untangle their limbs.

"Oh, and kitten?"

River looked back at Kiyoshi. A faint smirk was evident on his face.

"Don't even try to take care of that. If you do, I won't hesitate to teach you a lesson right here, right now."

River's answering blush made Kiyoshi laugh, a sound that followed him as he stumbled over to the bathroom and did his absolute best to ignore the pressure between his legs.

* * *

"I've got to go into the office today," Kiyoshi said by way of greeting, when River joined him. It explained the fact that he was again dressed in a full suit, wearing slacks that clung to his ass and thighs. He was knotting his navy blue tie as he spoke, his fingers deft over the fabric. "Won't take long, though, I should be back before noon; I just need to sign some shit."

"Oh," said River. "That seems…kind of inconvenient."

"Fuck yeah, it is," Kiyoshi muttered, running his fingers through his hair. "But apparently I'm the only one that can approve this shit, and I don't trust them to not fuck this up. I did actually try to convince Hisa to forge my signature for me, but he wouldn't go for it."

"Um," River said, for lack of anything else to say in response.

"In the meantime, though," Kiyoshi continued. "I think your punishment is long overdue, isn't it?"

It was kind of incredible, really, how dramatically one sentence could change the tone of the conversation. River's mouth went dry and his mind went immediately to the dull need that he had been doing his best to ignore for the past half hour.

"Y – yes, Master," River stammered.

"Mm, you don't sound so sure," Kiyoshi mused. "Don't think you deserve to be punished for disobeying your master? Strip," he commanded suddenly. "Come here."

River hadn't known what to change into, so he was still wearing Kiyoshi's oversized shirt with only his boxer briefs underneath. The only thing he'd bothered to grab was his glasses, which he had stuffed into his coat pocket before walking in the night before. It was a matter of seconds before he was completely undressed and standing exposed before Kiyoshi.

"I can't trust you to keep yourself for me when I'm at work," Kiyoshi said coolly. "So I suppose I'll just have to make sure that this slut can't get off like the horny little bitch he is."

River hadn't really registered what the device in Kiyoshi's hands was at first, but when Kiyoshi held it up for him to see, it clicked in his mind.

A thin metal ring, attached to a hollow shaft that extended outwards and curved down, with a small, open padlock that would hold it fast…

 _A cock cage._ Kiyoshi was going to lock him into chastity.

"I told you to come over here, slut."

River was trembling slightly, from the chill in the room with all its sharp contrasts in colour and the clean, sleek surfaces, the intimidation of having Kiyoshi so formally dressed in front of him, the dark antipathy in Kiyoshi's voice. He obeyed on unsteady legs to stand inches apart from Kiyoshi, not daring to look anywhere but down at his own bare feet.

He felt two fingers underneath his chin, a firm, insistent pressure that made him tilt his head upwards to look up into Kiyoshi's eyes.

"Colour?"

There was no change in his tone of voice, no softening of those sharp features and sharper eyes. All the same, River felt a flood of reassurance swamp him – even though he hadn't been particularly anxious at all, not really, it was comforting to know that Kiyoshi had still noticed his shivering.

"Green," he murmured, looking steadily back at Kiyoshi, before flicking his gaze back down.

"Mm. Hold still, slut."

River nearly jerked backwards at the sensation of cold metal on his sensitive cock. First the ring, around the base, tightened to fit snugly around. His soft cock, in through the shaft. It was snug but not overly tight, not entirely uncomfortable. But the sensation of his cock, encased in cool metal, was something he'd never experienced before, and was in and of itself thrilling.

River let out a sharp inhale at the way it seemed to suddenly constrict. The foreign sensation had caused him to become half-hard – or it would have, if the cock cage hadn't been in the way and effectively stopped any chance of him becoming erect at all.

As soon as the padlock _clicked_ into place, reality hit River, hard. He was locked in chastity. Kiyoshi would be away until noon. He would be prevented from achieving any physical form of arousal for approximately four hours.

"That should help my slut be a good boy for a while."

Kiyoshi's hands were wandering down River's body, stroking, teasing. River let out a soft whine of need, trying to press into Kiyoshi's touch and wincing when his hardening cock met the unyielding resistance of the cage.

Kiyoshi's hands were on the small of River's back, pulling River closer. River flattened his hands against Kiyoshi's chest to keep his balance so that he was all but leaning up against Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi leaned down, and his mouth met River's.

River's eyes fluttered shut and his mouth parted automatically as Kiyoshi delved deeper, his arms holding River tight against him. He let out a desperate whine when he was prevented from becoming hard and his hips bucked against Kiyoshi, trying to seek some sort of escape from his prison, some sort of relief from the ache that had been growing in persistence since last night.

It was over far too soon. Kiyoshi pulled away from River with a smirk, stepping back and reaching out for his phone. "Looks like it's time for me to go. I'll leave the key for _this_ –" Kiyoshi fondled with the cage on River's cock, his eyes cool with dark amusement when that elicited a desperate sound from River. "– here. Unless this slut absolutely can't stand it anymore, he's forbidden from touching it. Understood?"

River nodded fervently, breathing out a yes, before Kiyoshi continued. "And if I get a call at work from my slut, then it better be only for something serious. I'm a busy man, don't bother me with things that aren't important."

 _The key's here, call me, if you need to safeword out._

"Yes, Master," River said, flicking his eyes upwards for a split second before lowering his gaze back down.

"Be a good boy, will you?" Kiyoshi said coolly. "Wait for your punishment until I get back."

"Y – yes, Master."

And once again, River was left alone, completely naked in Kiyoshi's apartment, not as restricted in physical movements as he was yesterday…but somehow even more under Kiyoshi's control.

He pulled the shirt back over his head and decided to forgo wearing underwear – it would only serve to remind him of the weight of the cock cage on him, and anything that would keep him comfortable physically, even if only slightly, was welcome.

Standing made him aware of the foreign weight on his cock, but when he attempted sitting cross-legged on the same guest bed he'd occupied that first day, he was all too aware of the uncomfortable inflexibility of the cage. With a loud sigh, he let himself fall backwards onto the bed, lying spread-eagled on the sheets.

If he had something to do, he could try and preoccupy himself and forget about the cock cage. River stared at his phone screen, tapping an absent-minded rhythm against the surface. There was absolutely no way he'd be able to study like this, so he might as well try to entertain himself.

Nothing kept his attention long enough to distract from his built-up frustration and discomfort, though.

He rolled over on the bed and buried his face into a pillow (not even caring that his glasses were knocked askew), letting out a muffled scream of frustration that would have rivalled even Sofia's. River lay there, face-down in the pillow, metal pressing up against his skin for longer than he cared to admit. He needed something to do, he needed relief, he needed Kiyoshi back, _now_ …

The buzz of his phone's notifications made him start. He flailed out a hand, trying to reach blindly for it, before giving in and raising his head.

Surprisingly, there wasn't one, but five new messages. Several of them were clearly from last night – he hadn't bothered to check his phone after arriving at Kiyoshi's apartment – and when he swiped through them, he noticed that three of the five were timestamped at last night, around ten, from his boss.

 _Can you come in earlier today? At around three, instead of five._

River sighed quietly. It wasn't that he disliked his job, it was just that his usual four hours a week of tutoring grade school-aged children had him drained enough as it was. Then again, he was hardly going to refuse, especially once he read through the rest of the messages saying that he was very sorry to bother him so late, that there were four new students that were starting today, that the help would be very much appreciated and that he would be paid for the extra two hours.

 _Yes, I'll be there,_ River texted back, knowing that he would be exhausted by the time it was over, but also that he would feel guilty if he refused, especially since he really wasn't doing anything else for the rest of the day.

 _Thanks_ , came the prompt reply, which made River shrug, contentedly resigned.

The fourth message was from earlier this morning. River had to squint at the name to try and jog his memory. _Isabella?_

Frowning, he read the text. _Tell your friend to pick up all his shit from my place. I don't want it around anymore. I'll throw everything out if he doesn't by tomorrow._

 _Fuck._ Now he knew who it was. And he had a feeling he knew who the last text was from, too.

Sure enough, the most recent text was from Jun. _if isabella texts you i beg of you please just delete and ignore it_

River winced. _Um, too late?_ He replied. Immediately, Jun started typing again.

 _god fucking dammit river what kind of a friend are you_

Well, he had wanted something to preoccupy him with, and Jun's love life was as good a distraction as any.

 _Did you two break up?_ He asked, though he was already fairly sure of the answer. Jun's reply was swift and dripping with sarcasm.

 _no my girlfriend just regularly threatens to toss my clothes into the dumpster_

 _yes we fucking broke up again_

River was torn between consoling him and replying with well, she kind of does. Isabella was nothing if not…intense. Which, he supposed, worked out well enough with someone as impulsive and volatile as Jun. When she and Jun were together, they seemed completely enamoured with each other. And when they argued and 'broke up', which was often, something like this would inevitably happen.

 _What happened this time?_

Maybe River should have been a little more concerned over the breakup, but it was the second time this month already that it had happened, and he'd lost count of how many times Jun and Isabella had been on and off over the past six months.

 _me not being invested enough in our relationship apparently_

 _okay maybe that's not too far from the truth but like fuck i've been so busy with classes and shit and my asshole of a coworker made me cover her fucking shifts and i guess i said i'd be free after this week but then_

All of a sudden, River was kind of relieved that he and Kiyoshi weren't actually dating. Jun's relationship was a mess, and both he and his girlfriend were straight university students that were barely a year apart in age. He didn't want to imagine how much more difficult it would be to maintain a relationship between another man more than half a decade older than him who was constantly in the public's eye because of his status as a millionaire CEO.

Jun was still typing. Clearly, he had a lot to say, and River felt a sharp stab of guilt at not being able to be there for him – not until after nine, when he got off work, and he'd be too exhausted to really listen to Jun properly then, too.

 _i said something about spending time with her last weekend apparently but that was before we decided on sofia's birthday celebration and like hell i'm going to blow off my friend's damn birthday to hang out with my girlfriend on day earlier_

 _one* fuck sorry_

 _so we met up last night and long story short the date was a passive aggressive disaster_

 _and now i've been exiled_

The dots disappeared; Jun was done. River winced as he read the messages over again – relationships were definitely overrated – and strove to give Jun an appropriate response. _You two always get back together. She'll cool off._

 _yeah i know i just don't know if i want her to i'm pretty sick of going through this shit all the time_

 _the sex really is pretty great though maybe we can just keep on fucking without the feelings and shit_

Jun's attempt at being lighthearted made River smile, but unfortunately, the mention of sex had the unforeseen consequence of reminding him of his current predicament. His hand crept down to his crotch, and he let out a hiss of frustration, biting down hard on his lip when the unrelenting pressure only became more insistent. Quickly, he tried to turn his attention back to the conversation.

 _Isabella would probably castrate you if you suggested it._ He wrote out.

 _yeah she probably would_

There was a pause. River could almost see Jun, tapping his fingers restlessly, his eyebrows drawn together as he thought.

 _you're a lucky man you get to get laid in what i'm assuming is a really fucking nice apartment with an attractive person regularly and you don't even have to worry about remembering menstrual cycles and dress shopping_

 _Seeing as I'm gay, I'm pretty sure the menstrual cycles and dress shopping thing isn't a thing I'll ever have to experience with any partner, romantic or sexual._ River replied dryly, grinning faintly to himself.

 _good point_

It was a relief to see Jun mention Kiyoshi so casually, even if it was in the midst of a romantic crisis. His next text, though, made River cringe a little guiltily.

 _you're at his place aren't you_

 _Yeah, I spent the night._

 _Please_ , River begged silently. _Don't be weird about this._ He didn't want to argue anymore – the last week had been tense and uncomfortable enough.

 _well kudos to you at this point your kinky sex arrangement is going along better than my actual relationship_

River let out a surprised, quiet little laugh, his face flaming at the description of a kinky sex arrangement. To be fair, though, that was exactly what it was.

He changed the subject. _Are you going to pick up your things?_

 _i guess_ , was Jun's reply.

 _i'll go over with a gift and a speech_

 _and then we'll have hate sex_

 _and then she'll probably cry and i'll apologize a lot and then we'll have makeup sex and then we'll get back together_

 _like the eighteen other times it's happened already_

 _or more than that i've lost count_

 _shit my boss is eyeing me fuck gotta go bye_

River blinked. _What? You've been working this whole time?_

There was no response. River let out a quiet snort of laughter, shaking his head. Trust Jun to be able to get himself into situation after situation. He'd be fine, though – River had never met anyone better at skillfully weaving bullshit to charm their way out of anything.

He threw his phone aside with a sigh. River had managed to kill half an hour of time through their conversation, which was good progress – but that only made him think about why he'd been trying to kill time in the first place.

Even the soft sheets against his skin was too much stimulation, rubbing at the skin on his thighs and making him bite his lip to hide a groan when there was nothing to be felt higher up except for the constricting metal shaft. He rolled back over onto his back and tried to focus on breathing, to think about _anything_ but the fact that he was being kept in chastity, when Kiyoshi would be back, what his punishment might be…

His job. Four new students on one weekend, that was unusual. From the same family, perhaps? Or the same school, after receiving subpar marks? He hoped they weren't part of the one-on-one session, those always drained him so much more than the group ones. And hopefully younger children, too – it wasn't so much _tutoring_ for them as it was just occasional homework help and having the kids read to him and gently correcting their pronunciation every so often. He could take the bus to work, everything was nearby in downtown Dalton, or at least accessible by the subway. It would take him…maybe about half an hour, hopefully he'd be able to leave by around two.

 _Fuck._ That just made him think about how long Kiyoshi's punishment would take – _fuck, no, think of something else._

The text from Isabella had been surprising. He'd forgotten exactly when they'd exchanged numbers, but it had definitely had something to do with Jun. He kind of hoped that they'd stay broken up this time. If he was already exhausted trying to keep up with their relationship status, he couldn't really imagine what it was like for Jun, who was actively living it. He'd never thought that Isabella had liked him very much at all, but that was kind of understandable. After all, he was a gay man that shared a bed with her boyfriend more often than she did. And, well, he had a habit of embarrassing himself during first encounters. His first meeting with Kiyoshi was a prime example of that –

 _Not again_ , River thought in despair. Everything he thought of managed to twist back to Kiyoshi. A glance at his phone told him that it was only nine.

It was going to be a long three hours.

* * *

River jolted when he heard the door open, scrambling to stand up at the foot of the guest bed and skidding a little in his haste to get out. Kiyoshi looked up when River approached, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

"You look frustrated, kitten," Kiyoshi observed. "Been good for me?"

"Y – yes, Master."

"Mm. Strip, then follow me."

River followed meekly after Kiyoshi as he led him back into the playroom, his eyes widening when he saw Kiyoshi swipe the untouched key up from where he had left it earlier along the way. River glanced around, trying to determine what would be used in his punishment. He swallowed back a whine when that made his cock twitch inside the cage, rocking back onto his heels restlessly.

"Stay still," Kiyoshi ordered, and River immediately froze. A quick turn of the key, and the cock cage slid off. River let out a little gasp of relief at the sudden freedom. He wrapped his arms around himself and lowered his gaze to the ground. Kiyoshi's last order was to stay still, so he stood in the middle of the room without moving, straining to hear what Kiyoshi was doing.

"Lie face down on the bed, with your hands together behind you."

It felt liberating, strange, to be able to walk without the weight of the cock cage on him, occasionally brushing up against his leg, without him hyperaware of the foreign presence. River knelt on the bed and lowered himself down until his bare stomach was pressed against the sheets and clasped his hands behind his back.

Moments later, there was something smooth and velvety against his wrists, binding them together. River was expecting a similar sensation on his ankles, but to his surprise, there was nothing.

He couldn't hold back a sharp intake of breath when he felt a leathery, flat object cool against his ass, resting lightly against his skin.

"I've been thinking," Kiyoshi said. "This slut definitely deserves a spanking. But since it was the first time you've disobeyed me, I won't use the flogger, or a whip – though I assure you, slut, the next time something like this happens, I won't go so easy. So it'll be the strap for today."

"Yes, Master," River whispered.

Kiyoshi let out a low chuckle. "Look at you, accepting your punishment so eagerly. It's a pity my slut has only decided to be a good boy now."

River stayed silent, shifting on the bed, hot with anticipation. It wasn't his most shameful fantasy, not by a long shot, but it was something that he'd been fantasizing about for a long time…and the imminence of it was making him tremble with nervous excitement.

"Ten for touching yourself, when I said not to," Kiyoshi mused. "And an additional ten, for coming. Keep count, bitch."

The first _smack_ came as a shock. River jolted upwards, a gasp escaping his lips – more out of surprise than anything, but it was something that seemed to please Kiyoshi, judging by his low hum of approval. He lay perfectly still, blinking rapidly, evaluating the hit – the leather strap wasn't nearly as severe as something harder, like a paddle, and the dull pain had faded almost immediately.

"Too much?" Kiyoshi asked, sounding mocking. River swallowed.

"N – no, Master, please, keep going," he whispered.

"That's a good bitch."

The next few were much the same way, spread out over River's ass. The pain didn't linger for long, and all it did was serve to make River restless, buzzing with a faint excitement as he lay vulnerable and exposed on the bed.

"How many has that been, slut?"

River let out a shaky breath. "Ten, Master."

"Good boy."

River barely had time to preen at the praise when another smack hit him – this time, harder, making him gasp and jerk away out of reflex. Accompanying the pain was a sharp sting that didn't fully fade away, something that sent an electric hum of arousal tingling through him.

"Tell me why you're being punished, slut."

River opened his mouth to answer, but broke off with another gasp when the strap hit his skin again, this time nearer to the lower swell of his ass. "Because – because I –" he let out a cry of pain, biting down hard on his lip at the next hit. "I disobeyed Master…"

The next _smack_ was so hard that the sensation jolted through River's spine. His ass had to be reddening at this point, what with the increase in severity of Kiyoshi's hits.

"How did you disobey me?"

River broke off with a sobbing breath when there was another stinging _smack._ This time, not even the dull pain faded, leaving his ass throbbing. "I touched myself, and, and –" his tears spilled over when the strap hit his skin again, leaving a burning sting and a resounding pain that refused to dull and fade. "I came, without Master's permission."

"Good. Last five, count them out."

Kiyoshi brought the strap down again, against the peak of his ass. River let out a breathy moan when it hit his already tender skin, knowing his ass would be bright red with the force of Kiyoshi's impact.

"Sixteen," he whispered.

There was another sharp _slap_ – and this time, River jerked upwards and a wild, sobbing gasp escaped him. Kiyoshi had laid the strap at the sensitive skin at the bottom of the curve of his ass, near the top of his thighs.

"S – sev – seven, seventeen," River stammered out, tears streaking across his cheeks.

"Colour?"

River swallowed, trying to catch his breath. It hurt, yes – but not that badly, he could take more, he could absolutely take more if it would please his Master. "Green."

Kiyoshi's answer was to swat his ass again, slightly softer than before, less insistent, less severe. River registered a faint sort of disgruntlement even through the throbbing pain.

"Eighteen, Master. Harder, please," he requested.

"Taking your punishment like a good slut?" Kiyoshi contemplated. He obliged, though – with another resounding _smack_ that made River flinch and let out a sob of pained pleasure.

"Nine – nineteen."

The last spank tore a wild sob from River, cracking against his tender skin. His instinct was to draw in on himself, curl up with his knees to his chest and his arms around him, but his position and his bound hands made it impossible. His breath came in quick pants, interspersed with shuddering, sobbing breaths. His cock was hard and aching between his legs – he'd nearly come during the spanking, and he'd been gripping onto what remained of his self-control to keep himself in check.

"Good boy," Kiyoshi said, which made River flush hot with pleasure. The restraints on his wrists were undone, and he was prompted to sit up on the bed. The sheets rubbed against his sore ass, even as soft as they were, but that only made him more agitated, desperate to be able to address his arousal. It didn't seem to go unnoticed by Kiyoshi. "Needy little cockslut, aren't you?"

"Master, please," River begged. "Can I – let me, please…"

Kiyoshi's face was darkly amused as he watched River on the bed, flushed, with tears still trailing down his cheeks, his lips bitten red and raw.

"Since you asked," Kiyoshi said, already unbuttoning his shirt and slipping out of it. "And since you took your punishment so well."

A drawer over by one of the walls contained lube, and Kiyoshi tossed it over onto the bed, before joining River on it, leaning with his back against the wall and his bare legs stretched out in front of him.

"You want it that badly? Open yourself up. Prepare yourself – I want to watch my depraved, desperate slut finger himself open like the horny little bitch he is."

River stared up at his Master with wide eyes – he'd fingered himself before, both with other partners and alone, but there was something about doing it in front of his Master, who would be watching, cool and collected as always, right after River had been spanked by him as punishment…

He snatched up the bottle of lube and snapped it open with slightly shaky hands. It was a familiar process, and soon, he had his slick, trembling fingers inside of him. It was nowhere near as deliberate as Kiyoshi had done it – messy, hasty, unrefined – but he was stretched out well enough. And all the while, his Master had been watching, almost lazily stroking his cock as River worked himself into a panting, quivering mess.

"I'm ready, Master," River said, his voice hoarse and raw. His Master raised his eyebrows.

"Come take it then, cockslut."

When River blinked in incomprehension, his Master continued. "You want my cock so bad? Ride me, then."

 _Riding his Master…taking Master's cock up his ass, sitting in his lap, grinding down on him…_

His Master shifted to allow River to position himself with his legs on either side of his Master's hips. River bit down hard on his lip and slowly lowered himself down on his Master's erect cock.

River made a small, surprised sound in the back of his throat, gritting his teeth and tensing up out of reflex – but finding that the burn of the stretch wasn't unbearable or even unpleasant. He sunk down further around his Master's cock, gasping when it stretched at his hole.

Master's cock inside of him, filling him up, and the feeling of Master's body pressed against his in his sitting position, it was overwhelmingly pleasurable. When he had caught his breath, he rocked forwards experimentally – and was rewarded with a twinge of pleasure and a soft curse from his Master.

"Move, slut," Master growled.

"Y – yes, Master."

He raised himself upwards and lowered himself back down, his breath hitching in his throat at the sensation. After a few moments, Master's hands came up to grip at his hips, guiding him down harder, in a faster rhythm, so that soon, River was bouncing up and down on his cock and letting out breathy little whimpers every time he came down.

"Who do you belong to, slut?"

River let out a gasp, grinding down desperately on his Master's cock, tears still streaming down his face with a mixture of the pain of his sore ass, the electric pleasure of riding his Master, and the overwhelming desire to submit and to obey every order his Master would give him…

"You, Master, I belong to you…"

His Master's breathing was getting heavier, faster, too, and River felt a fierce pleasure at being able to please him. His grip on River was hard enough to bruise, enough that there would be marks of his Master's touch left on River. His hands roamed downwards to cup the swell of River's ass, stroking, fondling, caressing.

"Master, I'm going to – I'm going to come –"

His Master's voice was strained – from the effort of holding himself back?

"Come for me, then, kitten."

River came with a cry, come streaking across their stomachs, and collapsed against his Master's chest. Very vaguely, he registered a stifled curse and the slick come spilling into his hole, and hands that suddenly turned gentle and reassuring, stroking carefully at his skin, before he stopped thinking very much at all.

* * *

 ** _Note_**

 _So far,_ Larkspur _has really only made mention of one type of subspace - there are multiple levels and variations, and each person experiences it a little differently. Towards the end of this chapter, River starts to fall into subspace, in that he pushes his limits harder than he probably should, and begins to think much more about only pleasing his Master. He isn't incoherent, he's still consenting and willing - he answers 'green' when prompted, and even begs for more, but he's also not entirely in his right mindset._

 _The responsibility of the Dominant is to be able to monitor the Submissive's reactions and responses to avoid hurting them too much (which, yes, can happen - BDSM is also about limits, not just about giving and receiving pain). Though Kiyoshi is a more experienced Dominant, he doesn't have all that much experience with River as a Submissive, meaning that it would've been harder for him to gage his reactions and determine how far he could go, as each Submissive is different, since each person is different. It was already seen that crying - something that may have signaled a need to terminate play in some Submissives - didn't necessarily mean that for River, from the previous chapter._

 _That being said, there are a few reasons why play in this chapter was still relatively safe, even if they pushed it a little too far - River was able to free himself from the situation himself, despite being left alone, and was free to contact Kiyoshi at any time (and Kiyoshi could have left the office at any time, seeing as it wasn't any urgent business that kept him there, and, well, he's the CEO). Even during the punishment - lying down is generally the position that is considered for beginners, since it lessens the amount of tension in the muscles in the area, and keeps the Submissive in a relaxed position, making the impact less severe. The leather strap, too, is also generally more mild than any other device used (paddle, cane, flogger, whip), besides using bare hands._

 _The next chapter will delve into this, in-story.  
_

 _\- asterire_


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_**Note**_

 _It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that - apparently I've worried some of you. I'm fine, physically, mentally, maybe not spiritually if I'm continuing to write gay erotica, but you get the idea. Life decided to catch up to me. Nothing major, just busy enough that writing this sort of slipped my mind. Thanks for all your support and concern, though. I really do appreciate it._

 _Nothing really sexual in this scene, only reflections of the consequences of the previous chapter. A sort-of relapse into smoking, brief implication of homophobic/racist language, but nothing mentioned outright. Sorry to disappoint those who were looking for more, ah, explicit scenes. Next chapter will consist of one for sure._

 _I'm actually not just writing this as things pop into my head, surprisingly enough, I have chapters planned out._ _If everything goes according to plan, there should be about thirty chapters, so we're almost halfway through._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

"You look like shit."

River collapsed down on the couch, barely hiding a reflexive wince. "Thanks."

"Sorry," Sofia amended. "You do, though."

River couldn't really argue with that. He was well aware of how rough he must have looked – it had been a busy few days. There were dark shadows under his eyes to rival Sofia's, stark and bruise-like against his pale skin, and he couldn't really remember if he'd brushed his hair that morning. And he hadn't been too selective about the clothes he'd thrown over his head that morning, but judging by the way the sweater sleeves fell halfway down his palms, it was probably Jun's. Jun wasn't that much taller, and really, not any broader than River for the bagginess to look deliberate, so the overall effect was something of an exhausted, rumpled mess. He'd been working more shifts than usual, his professors had decided to pile them with assignments for the week, and, well…

He and Kiyoshi had gone a little farther than planned, last time. And while it hadn't been, really, that painful…the dull twinges of pain that had persisted whenever River shifted in his seat until a day afterwards were definitely more than what River had been expecting.

But while River hadn't been seriously injured at all, physically or psychologically, he had been a little concerned. Once they were outside of the solid walls of the playroom, no longer swaddled in the impenetrable walls, away from any prying eyes, reality had struck him.

It was more than a little frightening, how easily, how far he had slipped. He couldn't remember ever forgetting how much he could handle so easily before, but then again, he'd never had a partner that would indulge him as much as Kiyoshi had so far. The more rational side of his brain had hazed over entirely and he'd known nothing except for a blind pleasure and a desperate desire for more.

But he couldn't bring himself to be too anxious about it – and it wasn't in the least because of the relatively mild consequences. No, it was because of how unexpectedly, undoubtedly agitated Kiyoshi had been about the whole thing afterwards. He'd even seemed reluctant to let River go to work afterwards, and had texted him at least twice a day in the past week to follow up.

"Well, I've had an eventful week," River said, inwardly thinking how very true that was. Sofia didn't seem to pick up on it, only nodding while barely stifling a yawn.

"Haven't we all," she agreed, rubbing at her eyes. "God, I'm exhausted. Being twenty-one is really fucking awful. And it hasn't even been a month."

"You can drink alcohol legally, now," River pointed out, grinning.

"Yeah, well, alcohol's not going to going to help me deal with this shit ton of assignments," Sofia sighed. "You going out?" She asked suddenly, eyeing River. He started, surprised – there wasn't anything about him that indicated so, but then again, Sofia had known him for nearly four years.

"Um, yeah," River said. "I – Kiyoshi sort of – I mean, he invited me –" he stumbled over his words. It was strange, talking about Kiyoshi to his friends. They seemed worlds apart, his friends in their shitty little apartment, all three of them completely incompetent in their own ways, and Kiyoshi with all his casual arrogance and his pristine, untouchable…everything.

"To fuck," Sofia finished for him.

"To put it bluntly, yeah."

"This is kind of weird," Sofia mused. "You and your hot mess self, and who I'm pretty sure is the most eligible bachelor in the country, possibly the world."

"Hot mess? Look who's talking," River said, mock-offended.

" _Riv_ , I've seen you cry actual tears when you got a B on a test."

"I have a scholarship to maintain," River protested.

"You regularly pour orange juice into cereal by accident," Sofia said flatly.

"Maybe I like it that way."

"I've seen you gag and nearly throw up after eating it and realizing. And honestly, if you _did_ like it that way, I'd just be even more concerned."

"Point taken," River said, grinning. He glanced down and just then noticed Sofia's outfit. "You going somewhere too?"

Sofia shrugged. "Guy in my class asked me out. Thought I might as well, you know, since Kacey's in the running to be promoted and all and Jun's off with Isabella again. And you're, well."

River winced. He hadn't realized how much he'd been abandoning his friends, and it had to be bad, if he was comparable to Jun in the early stages of rekindling his relationship. "Sorry –"

"Yeah, dick move, from all three of you," Sofia said. "Honestly, though, don't worry about it too much. You're allowed to have a life, you know. Just don't take it too far, you know? Like, don't go moving in with Nakano anytime soon. First, because we wouldn't be able to cover rent then, and second, for the obvious reason that none of us know him all that well."

River laughed. "I don't have any plans to do that, and I doubt he does either, so I wouldn't worry about it."

He hesitated for a moment. "I – 'Fia?"

"Mm?"

"Are you…" he struggled to get the words out. "Okay with, with this?" He gestured vaguely. When Jun had been uncomfortable with the arrangement with Kiyoshi…well, he didn't really want to repeat that, not least because he was River's closest friend. Much as Jun's approval – or at least, resignation – meant to him, he didn't think he'd be very interested in pursuing a relationship that his two other closest friends deeply disapproved of.

Sofia was quiet for a brief moment. "Well, yeah," she said finally, and River exhaled and felt his anxiety evaporate like morning dew. "You know, you're a bit of a dumbass sometimes, but we all do trust you to make your own judgement on shit, you know? And Nakano seems all right, I guess. I mean, if anything, I doubt he'd do anything extreme to you –" and River had to stifle a slightly hysterical laugh, "because of his media presence and all. Just one thing."

River started. "Yeah?" He asked, feeling concern at the edges of his thoughts.

"I introduced you two to each other. Thank me, bitch."

* * *

It was a surprise to find himself alone in Kiyoshi's apartment, especially seeing as Kiyoshi had been the one to text and invite him. The receptionist had handed over a key card for Kiyoshi's door with a smile that didn't seem entirely genuine, looking at him curiously and in a way that made River feel incredibly uncomfortable. It was as if everything about him was being scrutinized, from his now quite overgrown fringe to his scuffed sneakers.

He sat on the couch, facing the door and playing absently with his phone. He fell into a half-dazed sort of dream, lulled by his complete lack of sleep.

River jolted when he heard the door open. He scrambled to stand up, in time to see Kiyoshi let the door slam shut behind him.

"Kitten," Kiyoshi said simply. Before River really had time to register what was happening, Kiyoshi had closed the distance between them.

River gasped with the suddenness of it. His eyes widened as Kiyoshi delved deeper into his mouth, without any of the finesse or control he'd shown before. This was all heat and emotion, Kiyoshi's mouth burning hot on his and unwaveringly insistent.

 _Something's not quite right._

Kiyoshi tasted strange on River's tongue. His touch was demanding, almost harsh. River was inexplicably reminded of closeted traipses at night in the city, watching his then-boyfriend dangle something between his fingers – oh.

River pressed his hands flat against Kiyoshi's chest and drew away, drawing his eyebrows together at the bitter taste of cigarette smoke. For his part, Kiyoshi halted almost immediately, glancing down at River questioningly.

River took a breath (and smelt a faint curl of smoke off of Kiyoshi when his hair swung across his face). He wasn't sure how to say it, but he did know that he wasn't sure if he wanted Kiyoshi to fuck him in this state. He doubted it would be good for either of them.

"What held you up?" River said instead. Kiyoshi's eyes seemed to darken, and his mouth twisted downwards. River had hit on something, it seemed.

"Shit came up at work," Kiyoshi said flatly. "Long story."

His shoulders were taut and his jaw set. River had never seen him in a state anything like this, not when they had been complete strangers and not when they'd been in the deepest recesses of their dynamic. There was definitely something that had happened.

River shrugged. He was bold enough to know that he had a right to know. "We've got time, right?"

He sat down on the couch and waited for Kiyoshi, prepared to stay put for as long as he needed to for Kiyoshi to give in. To his surprise, seconds later, Kiyoshi let out a sigh, which seemed to collapse everything out of him. He sagged into the couch and closed his eyes, rubbing one hand tiredly over his face. River watched him with wide eyes, taken aback by the sudden out-of-character action.

"It's just been an all-around shit day," Kiyoshi muttered. "You really don't need to know about my work problems."

"Well, I want to know," River countered. He felt his stomach flutter with nerves – he wasn't sure how far he was pushing things.

Kiyoshi exhaled, long and low. "You could probably guess, if you extrapolated a little. Really, I should be used to this shit by now, it's been happening for long enough. There was a meeting today – me, a couple of other arrogant big-shots that like to think they run the world. They took issue with me."

River stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Kiyoshi seemed lost in thought for a few moments, and when he continued, his voice was oddly brittle.

"It's nothing I haven't heard before. Too _young_ , too _wild_ , reckless, out of control," Kiyoshi spat, his voice high and mocking. "Would've just taken it, really, it's not exactly a lie, and besides, I'm more successful than any of them, but one of them decided to go a little further. Called me some slurs that I really don't care to repeat. Fucking asshole, it's the twenty-first century, you'd think that – it's nothing, though," Kiyoshi finished abruptly. "Doesn't matter, I'm used to it."

Kiyoshi sounded so completely matter-of-fact that River stared at him in incomprehension for a few moments. When he had fully realized what Kiyoshi had said, he felt a sharp ache in his chest at what it implied.

"You shouldn't have to be used to it," he said quietly. Kiyoshi glanced up at him, surprise flitting across his features. Something in his tense, sharp expression seemed to soften.

"Kitten," Kiyoshi said. "It's fine, really. It's been happening since I got the company handed over to me. Shouldn't have taken it out on you, though. Sorry about that."

"You didn't," River said. "Well, maybe I was a little surprised, but you stopped when I sort of asked you to. But it's not fine." He wasn't the best at social situations, maybe, but he lived with Kacey. He knew when someone was deflecting.

"Maybe not. What are you going to do about it, though?"

River bit his lip and glanced up at Kiyoshi. His eyes were closed again, and everything about him exuded a deep exhaustion, from the frown that curved his mouth to the way he slumped against the couch.

"Tell me about how you started at Nakano Enterprises," River suggested.

Kiyoshi snorted. "Trying to distract me, kitten?"

"Yeah," River admitted unashamedly. "I'm curious."

Kiyoshi's eyes were still closed, but he obliged willingly. "Started interning when I was sixteen. I don't know how much you know, but my uncle founded the company, so I get privileges. I don't think people would usually mind, the CEO getting his nephew to be a glorified coffee runner, but I started getting paid when I was eighteen, working as a part-time employee. And it was death, let me tell you, trying to do that _and_ keep up at Dalton."

"You went to Dalton?" River repeated, incredulous. Kiyoshi waved a hand.

"One of the best business schools in the world, kitten, yes, I went to Dalton. Originally, I wasn't too sure whether they just accepted me because of my uncle or not, but I ended up doing well enough to be my class' valedictorian, so I must've done something right. Started working full-time after I graduated, ended up getting promoted a few times. My uncle retired early – even if he hadn't had that stroke, he's got more than enough money – and I'm here now, upholding the company name while he enjoys life, like I have been since I was twenty-four."

"Twenty-four? That's…young." River definitely couldn't imagine himself running a multimillion dollar company in three years' time.

"Well, it was between me and Hisa, and I was the slightly less questionable choice," Kiyoshi said. "Uncle's a bit of a paranoid old man. Didn't really trust non-family members not to fuck up too hard. He keeps me in line by threatening to haunt me from his grave if I run the company into the ground."

That startled a laugh out of River. He caught the faint beginnings of a smile start to curl around Kiyoshi's lips and felt a faint glimmer of satisfaction.

"Who's Hisa?" River asked, determined to keep the conversation going. Kiyoshi had mentioned the name before, he was sure.

Kiyoshi opened his eyes, blinking. "Oh. I never told you, that's right. Hisa's short for Hisaya. He's my baby brother. Well, I say _baby_ , he's actually twenty-five. I put him in charge of marketing. He's good. Charming when he wants to be, I guess – I was always the one who got in trouble when we were kids, and he always managed to get us out of it."

River tried to visualize Kiyoshi as a child, but couldn't really manage it. He laughed, though, at the idea of a younger Kiyoshi stirring up a fuss wherever he went. "You two work together? Doesn't that get uncomfortable?"

"It was, at the beginning," Kiyoshi said contemplatively. "We're fine now, though. It's been nearly five years, after all. Besides, we've always got along all right with each other. I trust him to do what he does, so I don't really give him as many instructions. Working with my other brother, that would've been a fucking ordeal."

"How many brothers do you have?" River asked a little incredulously. Kiyoshi grinned at River's tone. He seemed much more relaxed than before, and he was sitting upright to face River now.

"Just the two. No sisters. Me, Hisa, and Shira – Dashiro. He's a year older than me. Last I checked, he was on track to being a hotshot lawyer. We were never really close, though."

It was interesting, refreshing, to hear about Kiyoshi. Outside the bedroom, outside of their arrangement, the kind of person that he was.

"And you, kitten? Any siblings?"

"Um," River said, suddenly put on the spot. "None that are full-blooded. My parents are divorced. My mom remarried when I was twelve. My stepdad had a daughter, Penelope's, I think, sixteen, now. And I have half-siblings through them. The twins, Nathan and Austin, they're three."

"Perfectly ordinary names."

River laughed. "Yeah, my stepdad's better at coming up with English names than my mom. Clearly."

"Well, River suits you."

Kiyoshi's arm brushed up against River's, and without thinking, River leaned into his touch.

"Does this happen often?" River asked quietly. Kiyoshi's hand stroked almost absently through his hair as he hummed thoughtfully.

"Often enough. Once a month, maybe."

"How do you manage?"

Kiyoshi rubbed his thumb over River's jawline, sending warmth blooming from his touch. "I smoke. Or go to Aspect. Or bitch about it to Hisa and Antara. All three, usually."

They sat in silence for a long moment, Kiyoshi still carding his fingers through River's hair and River edging slowly closer into him.

"I much prefer this, though," Kiyoshi admitted, and River felt a surge of satisfaction. "You know, I'm not that up for sex tonight. You want to check out a movie instead? You can still stay the night, if you want."

"Sounds good," River agreed immediately. Kiyoshi smiled at him – and River's heart flipped in his chest. It wasn't like any of his sharp smirks, not teasing or languid or seductive, but very simply pleased. It was overwhelmingly endearing, especially with the way the corners of his mouth quirked crookedly upwards.

It wasn't the wildly kinky, passionate sex that River had expected to receive that night, but when Kiyoshi dimmed the lights and casually stretched out an arm to draw River closer against him, when his sarcastic commentary made both of them collapse into laughter, and when the night went on and opened to River so many new things that Kiyoshi was at ease with telling him, he found that he couldn't care less.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**_Note_**

 _Hello, yes, I'm alive. I would give an excuse, but honestly, I don't really have one. I just didn't feel like writing this. Sue me, I write other things that aren't erotica sometimes._

 _Chapter contains bondage, sex toys, brief verbal degradation, possessive ownership, and what could be considered very tame overstimulation._

 _Merry belated Christmas and early New Year._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

River's breath hitched in his throat as the rubber pushed at the inner walls of his hole. The dildo was already an inch deep inside of him, and Kiyoshi was toying with it, pushing up at the sides of River's hole, slowly, _slowly_ twisting it deeper in. It was a tantalizingly gradual approach, rendering River flushed and panting within minutes.

He squirmed at his restraints, bouncing a little on the bed. This time, he wasn't spread eagled, but instead restrained by his ankles with two sturdy leather cuffs that encircled them and connected to the headboard so that his legs were pulled upwards, his bent knees almost touching his chest and his feet dangling in the air.

River's mouth fell open in a soundless gasp as Kiyoshi pushed the dildo in deeper. His eyes fluttered shut as he fixated on the feeling of smooth, slick rubber slipping shallowly in and out. It wasn't a foreign sensation, not exactly; he'd toyed with himself before. But it was altogether different, knowing that he was panting and stretched around a dildo before Kiyoshi, who was deliberately teasing him with his arrogant, crooked half-smirk as River unraveled under his ministrations.

"Like that, kitten?" Kiyoshi all but purred, his voice pitched low and rumbling.

River let out a breathy moan in response, looking up at Kiyoshi through eyes half-closed in pleasure.

"Fucking slut," Kiyoshi continued. "Look at you. You don't even need a real cock, do you? Anything will do for you."

Kiyoshi eased the dildo in deeper. River's face screwed up as he felt himself stretch around it; their brief prep session hadn't exactly loosened him up very much at all, and he was feeling the dull, burning pain very acutely. He bit down hard at his bottom lip, stifling a sharp cry of pleasured pain.

"Master, please," River gasped out. "I need…"

River jerked upwards with a cry of shock, his back arching off the bed. Kiyoshi had yanked the dildo out with a smooth, sharp motion, leaving River's hole suddenly empty.

"What was that, bitch?"

Kiyoshi's voice was low and dark and left an icily burning trail shivering across River's naked body. River felt a faint whine escape his throat as he tugged uselessly at the restraints. He looked up at Kiyoshi with wide eyes - he knew that Kiyoshi wasn't angry, not really (he'd seen him actually infuriated exactly twice, both during phone calls, and he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't been genuinely terrified of him in those moments) but during all of their scenes, Kiyoshi seemed to all but radiate such authority and absolute _control_ that River's immediate instinct was to cower back.

"Master," he whispered.

There was a resounding _smack_ as Kiyoshi's open palm made contact with River's the back of River's thighs, immediately followed by River's startled yelp of pain.

"Who's in charge here, bitch?"

River let out a shuddering breath. His fingers opened and closed uselessly on empty air. "Y - you, Master."

"That's right, bitch. I'm in charge here. Does my slut think he can tell me what to do?"

River's answer came out as a choked sob.

"Colour, kitten?"

"Green, green," River stammered hastily. His face was flushed and burning with arousal, something Kiyoshi seemed to have noticed because he wasted no time in continuing.

"I don't give a fuck what you need, _slut._ You're my little fucktoy, and you're going to let me use you however I want to. Am I understood?"

"Y - yes, Master," River choked out.

"Who do you belong to, slut?"

"You, Master," River sobbed. "Only you, Master, _please,_ Master…"

All of a sudden, Kiyoshi's lips were on his own, hot and insistent. Kiyoshi bit down on River's bottom lip, eliciting a harsh moan from his throat and making his already hard cock twitch in eagerness. Seconds later, Kiyoshi pulled away to leave River panting and dazed, his eyes very wide and his swollen lips parted in surprise.

"That's right, you're _mine,_ " Kiyoshi agreed, and his voice was rougher now, less steady and controlled as if some wild fit of passion had overtaken him and knocked his confident control ever so slightly askew. "And don't you forget it. I want to hear my slut beg for pleasure."

River took a shuddering breath. "Master, please, I - I'm a slut for you, Master, I want you…"

His hips bucked uselessly upwards into empty air, searching for some friction against his throbbing cock.

"Mm, you beg so pretty, kitten. Think you deserve a reward."

Something nudged at his mouth, smooth and firm. His lips parted automatically, his tongue darting out to meet the taste of slightly bitter, smooth material.

"Work that pretty mouth for me," Kiyoshi ordered. River hardly needed to be told at all, it was almost instinctive for him to part his lips further to allow Kiyoshi to slip the dildo past his lips and into his waiting mouth.

He sucked experimentally - he'd never actually had a dildo in his mouth before; there hadn't exactly been a reason for him to ever do anything like that. It was firmer, cooler than Kiyoshi's cock, and immediately different in sensation. It was entirely smooth, so that his tongue slipped swift and moist around the shaft.

The metal links that bound River's hands to the headboard clinked when he twisted on the bed as the head of the dildo nudged at his entrance again. His hole was looser, now, and it was easier for the dildo to slip deeper in until he felt stretched out and almost full. He jerked involuntarily at his restraints, trying to grasp the pleasure that Kiyoshi was still dangling just out of reach.

Kiyoshi twisted the dildo inside of River and he felt a twinge of pleasure as it brushed against his prostate. He let his head fall backwards as he let out a soft moan around the other dildo still in his mouth, his eyes fluttering shut. He felt full from both ends, with a dildo deep up his ass and another one at the back of his throat.

A sudden explosive jolt of pleasure pulsed through River. Sparks quivered across his sensitive skin and over the sound of his own lewd, high-pitched moans he registered the buzzing vibrations within him.

The vibrations coursed within him, just barely teasing at his prostate. It was a wild, electric sensation that made every single one of his nerves seem as if they were on fire. Every movement seemed amplified, somehow, and shifting even the minutest amount sent a new wave of intense sensations shuddering across his skin.

His jaw was beginning to ache - he'd responded to the sudden intensity in pleasure by sucking more fervently on the proffered phallus, and Kiyoshi seemed all too eager to encourage him by roughly pushing the dildo in still deeper until River was choking and spluttering for breath. All the same, he barely registered the discomfort - or rather, the discomfort only seemed to enhance his wildly delirious feelings of humiliation and pleasure.

River let out a wild gasp as the vibrations suddenly intensified. Kiyoshi had flicked the vibrations up another setting and the difference was absolutely electrifying. River was reduced to a trembling, writhing mess on the bed, gasping out unintelligible phrases and sounds.

A desperate keen of pleasure was torn from River's throat as Kiyoshi began to thrust the dildo in and out. He jerked at his restraints, barely registering the dull pain as the leather cuffs resisted his movements.

Each thrust sent a new wave of electrifying sensations through his hypersensitive body. Kiyoshi did _something_ \- flicked his wrist, maybe, but the sudden change of angle made River jerk back and let a high-pitched cry of agonized pleasure. His asshole felt like it was rubbed raw and sensitive, and on the other end, his throat was sore and his moans were coming out ragged and hoarse.

"Fuck," Kiyoshi swore - and his voice seemed rougher and his breaths a little more laboured now, too. "Don't you look pretty, all desperate and wrecked because of me."

That tore another drawn-out, broken moan from River's abused throat. He heard a sudden sharp intake of breath from above him, and a moment later, Kiyoshi seemed to stutter to a halt in his rhythm. It almost sounded like Kiyoshi was stifling a groan behind gritted teeth.

Before River had any time to dwell on it, though, the sudden influx of wildly passionate vibrations cut his mind off from everything but blind pleasure. He came gasping so hard that he saw stars, his jaw clenching down instinctively on the dildo still in his mouth.

When the world had righted itself again, he realized that there was the bitter taste of rubber in his mouth and a definite faint twinging in his asshole. Kiyoshi had collapsed down onto the bed with a dramatic sort of flop so that he was sprawled in a heap next to River, deftly undoing the last of his restraints.

"Oh," River said. His voice cracked and he flushed, clearing his throat and trying again. "Um, I didn't...slip, this time?"

Incredibly, Kiyoshi's cheeks seemed to be slightly pink, and he wasn't exactly looking at River when he replied.

"No, no, you did. Not for long. It just, ah, took me a little while to get around to...well, sorry about that."

River squinted up at Kiyoshi. He seemed much more disheveled than usual, especially considering how cool and in-control he usually was during scenes. His hair was ruffled and out of place, and there was a very definite flush to his skin now. River recalled the sudden break in Kiyoshi's rhythm moments before he had come, and looked up at Kiyoshi in half-incredulity, half something that was almost glee.

"You didn't - I didn't make you -"

"Oh, fuck off," Kiyoshi muttered. River let out a surprised huff of laughter, both at Kiyoshi's petulant air and the situation in general.

"I made you come in your pants," River said. "I made - you're a _multimillionaire_ , and you - I don't think _I've_ done that since I was fifteen -"

" _You_ can shut your mouth, or I'll find a way to do it for you," Kiyoshi warned, but there was a reluctant grin on his face.

"I thought you didn't like gags?"

"I might just make you suck my dick. Speaking of which, I'm kind of glad that you weren't doing that today, because I think you could have bitten it clean off, given how hard it was to get the dildo out of your mouth when you slipped."

"I wouldn't have bitten off your dick. It's a nice dick. I'd like to keep it intact," River said. He was feeling a lot bolder and more playful after the day's session, and there wasn't really a question of why.

"Yes, well, you and me both," Kiyoshi said dryly. "You think you can stand, or do you want me to help you along?"

River contemplated it for a moment. His asshole was decidedly sore, but his legs seemed steady enough.

"I'll walk," he decided.

"Good, because I'm about to take a shower," Kiyoshi half-grimaced, half-grinned reluctantly when River let out a snort of laughter. "Are you planning on joining me?"

"Yeah, all right," River agreed, because he was feeling sticky and damp and, well, he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to make use of Kiyoshi's impressive bathroom.

Admittedly, the image of Kiyoshi's naked body was appealing, too.

"Let me just - I'm going to tell my roommates that I'll be home late," River said. "What time is…?"

"It's already nine, kitten, you might as well stay the night," Kiyoshi said offhandedly. "You don't have anything important on Saturday mornings, do you?"

"Um, no," River said. "All right, I'll stay. I'm just going to text them and, I'll join you?"

"Sounds good."

It was a little amusing, how little walking around naked and freshly fucked in Kiyoshi's apartment seemed to bother him now. He was used to the cool air now, so that he hardly shivered at all, though his knees were slightly more wobbly than he'd originally guessed. The phantom feeling of the vibrator in his asshole made him shudder slightly, and he blushed even though there was no one around to see him.

River made his way to the living room, where his jeans were in a heap on the ground and fished out his phone from the back pocket. To his surprise, he had received eight texts in the hour that he and Kiyoshi had been in the playroom, and even more unexpectedly, two missed calls - one from Kacey and one from Jun.

The texts weren't anything particularly important, he decided, as he scrolled quickly through them. _You're covering my shift tomorrow, just letting you know, you have my good pen i think, give it back to me tomorrow?_ It was uncharacteristic for any of his roommates to call, though.

 _Talk to you later, I'm staying the night at Kiyoshi's,_ River sent out simply. After all, he had plenty of time to clear things up with his roommates, whatever it was that was bothering them. And besides, there was a very naked, very alluring man waiting for him in the shower.

* * *

"Mm, took you long enough," Kiyoshi hummed, as River pushed aside the sliding glass door to join him. The warm water was already spraying up a fine mist, and the steam rolled pleasantly over River's skin and loosened the aches in his body.

"It's barely been five minutes," River protested, his lips tugging upwards.

"Naughty kitten, keeping me waiting," Kiyoshi teased. He landed a playful smack on River's wet ass, the sound surprisingly loud in the confines of the slick shower walls.

"Now who's the impatient one, _Master_?" River asked, grinning.

"You are. I'm just claiming what should have been mine all along."

"I don't know, you were pretty impatient to come earlier -"

River was enjoying this new teasing, playful dynamic so much that he let out a surprised squeak when Kiyoshi grasped him around the waist and pulled him against his chest.

He was pressed up against Kiyoshi's muscled body, his hands resting on his broad shoulders. He had to tip his face upwards to look at Kiyoshi's body, and that made the water on his forehead trickle downwards down his neck and into his eyes, but he didn't particularly care because Kiyoshi's mouth was on his and River was kissing back for all he was worth.

Kiyoshi swiped a tongue over his lower lip. River parted his lips obediently, and Kiyoshi immediately plunged his tongue into River's mouth, hot and demanding. River somehow found himself pinned to the slick shower wall, clutching desperately onto Kiyoshi (to prevent himself from slipping, he told himself).

He was gasping for air long before they separated, but he was loathe to be the one to break away first. Kiyoshi's lips were pink and swollen, and his water-slick hair was sticking up in a passionately disheveled look.

"Told you I'd find a way to shut you up," Kiyoshi breathed, his arms still tight around River's waist.

River laughed breathlessly. "Maybe I should tease you more often, then, if this is how you're going to make me stop."

"You know, kitten," Kiyoshi said, and there was something burning in his dark eyes that River didn't quite know how to describe, but suddenly, he could not breathe and neither could he look away. "I wouldn't be entirely opposed to that."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_**Note**_

 _Think of this as a very, very late Valentine's day gift._

 _No real warnings this time, because, well, there isn't a lot of sex. The scene is stopped with a safeword, though it's not for inherently sex-related reasons. That being said, please be careful when engaging in a scene - they can be exhausting, and it's absolutely fine if you're not up for it because of various reasons, and no one should feel guilty for having to use their safeword._

* * *

River half-stumbled as he turned a sharp corner on the street. Usually, he would stop for a second to marvel at how abruptly the atmosphere seemed to change - contrary to the streets surrounding the neighbourhood, the place was upscale and exclusive, with dazzlingly bright buildings that stretched high above the skyline - but today, he was singularly focused and anxious to be away from the dizzyingly loud rumble of cars speeding past and the insistent low groan of noise from strangers on the street rushing by.

 _Fuck_ , he just wanted the pounding in his head to stop. But there were so many thoughts in there, clashing and rolling over and over until his head was throbbing with a dull pain and the blood thudded erratically in his ears.

River cringed when a hot jolt of pain stabbed through his head. Fuck, he hadn't done well on that test at all. His GPA was going to pay the price...and so would his bank account, if he dropped low enough to lose his scholarship. He screwed up his face and kept walking, his breathing harsh even to his own ears.

Of course, it shouldn't have mattered _too_ much. He had that summer research job, after all...but all of a sudden, there were only two positions available and three other people besides River that were qualified to fight for them, and _god_ , he didn't know if he could manage to cling to his position, and that would mean not only a dent in his income but a loss of a job opportunity and a harsh blow to his self-esteem.

And speaking of his self-esteem…

River rarely read articles about Kiyoshi - it felt distinctly like an invasion of privacy, for obvious reasons. But he could hardly disregard the group of students sitting only a few seats over, talking loudly about the recent sophisticated Charity Gala. And speculating about the (young, pretty) redheaded woman that had adorned Kiyoshi's arm the entire evening.

Kiyoshi wasn't _his_ , and River knew that better than anyone. He wasn't even sure if it was jealousy that was making his throat tighten up, causing the ache behind his eyes. But he couldn't get the image of her and Kiyoshi out of his mind, that sparkling-still candid captured by a photographer. Her hair was a brilliantly stark red against Kiyoshi's handsome, flattering black suit, and she fit against his side perfectly, only a few inches shorter than him in high heels. The two of them fit seamlessly into the posh surroundings, with her elegantly simple dress and the easy half-turn to his lips.

He had no right to be jealous, but fuck, if he didn't feel bitterly inadequate knowing that he wasn't really worth more than a dirty little fuck, and more than that, knowing that was how he enjoyed it.

The apartment was abruptly looming over River; he'd barely noticed that he'd been moving at all, he'd been so lost in thought. He swallowed back a noise of annoyance at the jabbing pain in his temples and tried to mentally beat back his wayward thoughts, taking a moment in the elevator to take a deep, wavering breath that only made his head pound.

 _Shut up_ , he furiously told his own mind. _You're here for a fuck, not a therapy session. Shut the goddamn fuck up and we'll worry about money later._

He briefly entertained the idea of asking Kiyoshi, and a small smile flashed across his lips when Sofia's insistence that in another world, Kiyoshi would've been River's sugar daddy drifted across the forefront of his mind. But he could hardly ask Kiyoshi to pay for his tuition, especially when they were only tentatively acquaintances.

River barely waited long enough for the elevator doors to slide smoothly open before he was out and pushing open the door to Kiyoshi's penthouse apartment. Less than a moment later, he was flush against Kiyoshi's body, his hands planted flat on Kiyoshi's chest as he kissed him for all he was worth.

Kiyoshi let out a sound part way between pleasure and surprise. He broke away briefly, his eyebrows raised, but the separation lasted barely an instant before River was chasing his lips again.

"Eager little kitten," Kiyoshi managed to pant out between scorching-hot kisses. "Aren't you?"

River let out a desperate whine, thrusting himself more insistently at Kiyoshi's body. He wanted to be fucked into oblivion, he wanted to slip and forget about anything but pleasure and pain and being good for Kiyoshi, he wanted to stop thinking about everything that had been making his head reel dizzyingly all day and just give himself up to Kiyoshi.

Perhaps Kiyoshi could sense his needy desperation, because he purred softly in River's ear, ' _naughty kitten, I'll show you how to be patient and wait for me_ ', which made River shiver as the words swept across his skin and let out a soft whine of need.

The cold, sleek metal cuffs were welcoming against his skin, and so was the resistance of the chain as he pulled on the taut links. The blindfold, silken and snug over his eyes, left his sight blissfully dark and empty and his skin wildly sensitive to the barest wisp of breeze that sensually caressed his naked body, bared to Kiyoshi for him to use. In just a few moments, he'd be able to slip away and forget everything, that he wasn't good enough to maintain his grades, to hang onto his position, to -

"Depraved little slut, bet your asshole is all loose and ready for me, you fucking _whore_."

Fingers against his skin, teasing, closing around his nipple and pinching hard so that he jerked upwards with a gasp. A hot tongue, immediately replacing it to swirl around it, making him shudder and jolt with the sudden overwhelming sensations coursing through him.

River choked on his cry, on the lump in his throat. He squeezed his eyes more tightly shut, trying to block out his thoughts, his stupid, insistent thoughts and focus on just the sensation of Kiyoshi's fingers trailing across his stomach. Every touch seemed to singe trails of ashy fire into his skin, piercing at him, eating away at him with anguished intensity.

"Safeword, kitten?"

He wanted to give himself up to nothingness, but his lurching thoughts _wouldn't stop_ , the cold metal on his skin kept jerking him back to the present, and everything was _too much,_ entirely too much, and he couldn't -

"Kitten. Safeword?"

His eyes burned. His breath came in quick, little gasps. Hot tears stung at the corners of his eyes.

"River, colour, _now!_ "

The tears spilled over and leaked down through his blindfold, burning hot trails across his skin. His breath wavered and shuddered in his throat, coming out in a watery sob.

" _Red_."

He heard something that he thought might've been a muffled curse from Kiyoshi. Now that the tears had started, he couldn't seem to make them stop, and they streaked messy-wet across his face, making his breathing come out in ragged, wet, choking gasps. Minutes later, the pressure of the cuffs had disappeared from his wrists, and he felt Kiyoshi's fingers - gentler, softer than he ever could have imagined - brushing against his cheekbones and carefully undoing the blindfold.

"Oh, darling…"

Something about the quiet softness of Kiyoshi's voice, the careful, gentle pressure of his hand on the small of River's back as he helped him into a sitting position, made River fragment completely. Through his blurred vision, he saw Kiyoshi reach out for him, pausing just before touching River as if asking for permission.

River fell into Kiyoshi's body. His shoulders shook as he fought to breathe, to control himself and stop his heaving sobs, trying to compartmentalize his thoughts and force them under control - because he shouldn't have been crying about his tuition, his job, that ridiculous Charity Gala, not sobbing so hard he thought that he might crack and fall apart - except that he wasn't crying because of that, not really, he was just so woefully inadequate and everything seemed to be proving that over and over again…

Eventually, the emotion drained slowly out of him. His shaking lessened to trembling against Kiyoshi's chest, his sobs trickled away to miserable shuddering breaths and hiccups.

Kiyoshi's hand reached up, his fingers carding carefully through River's hair. "Want to tell me what that was all about, darling?"

River said nothing, but tensed involuntarily, something that Kiyoshi undoubtedly felt, pressed up naked against River's bare body as he was.

"It's nothing," he mumbled. "Didn't do well on a test." Now that he said it that way, it did seem ridiculous - which only made him feel worse, knowing that he'd broken down over something so stupidly trivial.

"It's not nothing if it pushes you to a panic attack," Kiyoshi said mildly, which drew a small sound of surprise from River. "Yeah, I know what a panic attack looks like. Come on, darling."

"Thought we weren't a thing."

Kiyoshi let out a huff of laughter without any real warmth or humour behind it. "Thought we already established that I'm not a complete asshole all the time, despite what a lot of people seem to think."

River was quiet for a few seconds, before speaking up, his voice hoarse and throat raw from crying. "My GPA's going down. It's just - my scholarship, it might disqualify me from it, and - and it's just, I worked hard, but I guess, obviously not hard _enough_ , and I just -"

"Easy there, darling." Kiyoshi seemed to be almost absentmindedly stroking his hair. "One mark's not going to affect anything that much, you should know that. You're in your last year, aren't you? You _must_ have gotten shitty marks before. God knows I did."

River let out a breathy sigh, leaning further into Kiyoshi's solid presence. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry for freaking out."

Kiyoshi made a sound of dissent. "It's fine. My dick's kind of paying the price, but that's not all that important. It's been a tiring week, anyway. Ostentatious meetings for any reason, including charity, are always fucking exhausting."

River let out a shaky laugh, but now that Kiyoshi had brought it up, he couldn't shake off his insistent curiousity. He was still limp and shaky from crying, so he wasn't entirely thinking, either, when he simply blurted out, "who was that person you went with?"

"Jealous, kitten?"

River stuttered something incoherent, until he felt Kiyoshi's laugh vibrate through his chest. "Easy, kitten," he said, brushing his thumb across the residual tear tracks on River's face. "Good to see you blush again, though. Quinn's an old friend - we went to Dalton together, actually, she was a freshman when I was in my junior year. We just reconnected and, well, I didn't really have anyone else to bring."

"Oh." And even though he definitely wasn't jealous at all, a sort of pressure seemed to be lifted off River's chest. "You two, um, looked good together."

"I'm aware. We dated in university for a few months - nearly a year, actually. Until she realized she liked girls better, so thus ended that relationship."

That surprised a huff of laughter from River, which felt good, after the dull emptiness that had followed his breakdown. It seemed to please Kiyoshi, too, because River felt his lips, pressed against the side of his temple, curve in a small smile.

They stayed like that for - River didn't even know how long, his head resting on Kiyoshi's chest which rose and fell rhythmically with his breathing, curled up against Kiyoshi who had one arm around River's shoulder and the other hand focused on twining strands of River's hair together. It was achingly intimate, and for a moment, River almost forgot that the only thing really keeping them together was their laundry list of kinks and their nights of wild debauchery.

"Let's go out," Kiyoshi said suddenly, the silence in the room melting away. "I don't feel like staying in tonight. There's a Korean food festival a few streets away, and it's going on until midnight. You want to come with me?"

River blinked. He was languid and warm, but at the same time, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be in silence with only his own thoughts for that long. And going out downtown Dalton with Kiyoshi...the prospect of wandering around with no real purpose but to enjoy himself wasn't something he got to indulge in, well, ever, and he couldn't deny that the presence of Kiyoshi seemed to make that idea all the more appealing.

"Y-yeah," he agreed, with barely a moment's hesitation to think. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

"You look very...ordinary."

Kiyoshi snorted. "Well, I'm hardly going to go gallivanting around the downtown area of a major city at night in a business suit, am I? I'd look fucking stupid. Also, I'd probably get mugged."

River laughed. "I don't know, that coat's pretty fancy. You might still get mugged."

Kiyoshi pushed him playfully, making River _eep_ as he stumbled off to the side of the sidewalk, still grinning. It was the first time River had ever seen Kiyoshi in anything _but_ a business suit (and, well, nothing at all), and as attractive and put-together Kiyoshi looked in formalwear, there was something immensely attractive about the way his dark jeans clung to the outline of his ass and the way his pale trench coat fell open to reveal a thin white shirt that revealed the faint suggestion of his lean chest. As they passed through the light of a streetlamp, Kiyoshi's piercings flashed and winked from where they were exposed, after Kiyoshi had tied his hair back from his face.

"You're not worried about reporters?" River asked, the thought having just occurred to him.

"If a reporter is dedicated enough to be scouting a food festival at ten at night for _me_ , I think they deserve the article. And anyway, just about everyone there is likely to be East Asian, I doubt anyone's going to think _oh shit, it's Kiyoshi Nakano_ at first glance."

"Well," River conceded. "Okay, yeah."

The festival was a cheery blast of warm lights and drifting music and the comforting scents of rich food and spices. River enjoyed it immensely - the rise and fall of words that he only recognized vaguely from Jun's conversations with his parents in a wave that washed over him, the food stands lining the streets with food being crafted by deft hands and offered with open faces, the shards of bright light above them that fell on Kiyoshi's sleek dark hair and turned it luminescent. The food was fantastic, and there was a great deal of entertainment involved in eating it, too. Especially when it came to Kiyoshi.

"Can't handle spice?" River teased, as Kiyoshi coughed and choked after taking a single bite from some kind of a cake doused in a red sauce.

"Shut up," Kiyoshi managed to wheeze out. "Oh my god. Holy fucking _shit_."

River stole a piece from him and chewed serenely. "I can barely taste any spice at all."

"You little _shit_ ," Kiyoshi accused, looking at River's neutral expression, which faltered as River burst out laughing. "You know, in Japan, we don't eat food that tries to burn all the taste buds on our tongue," he said, sounding almost petulant. River could almost describe the sullen expression on Kiyoshi's face as a pout.

For all that Kiyoshi was leery about anything with the barest hint of red on it for the rest of the night, he seemed to be wildly enjoying himself, too. After they'd been wandering the festival for some time, Kiyoshi slipped an arm around River's shoulders to tug him out of the way of a group of teenage students, and never removed it. It was a comforting weight, and it made River flush with something warm and happy on the inside.

"Huh, what? Riv?"

River jerked around at the sound of his name, blinking in surprise when he came face-to-face with familiar light-brown hair and a dark windbreaker over a lanky body.

"Jun?"

Kiyoshi's arm was gone so swiftly from around his shoulders that River hadn't even processed it until a few moments later. He glanced around, but somehow, Kiyoshi had melted away into the crowd, leaving River alone with Jun.

Well, not alone. Beside Jun was someone River vaguely recognized, an attractive girl around their age with large eyes and full lips and eyebrows that were raised in a way that made her seem perpetually disdainful.

"Oh, um, hey, Isabella," River said awkwardly. He hadn't met her very many times - really, he'd only actively interacted with her once for a group project, which was how she and Jun had ended up meeting anyway. "What are you two doing here?"

Jun shrugged. "Date night. What are _you_ doing here? You here alone?"

River hesitated. "Well, um."

Jun's expression shifted suddenly as he seemed to come to the correct conclusion. "Oh. Okay. We'll leave you to it, I guess."

"Yeah," River said. Where _was_ Kiyoshi? And why had he just...left? "I'll...well, I'll see you around. Bye, Jun."

As soon as Jun and Isabella had disappeared back into the crowd, River whirled around to scan the vicinity for Kiyoshi. Through his confusion and exasperation (and very slight, mild panic) he kind of marveled at the fact that someone as tall as Kiyoshi could so effectively vanish.

"Behind you, kitten."

River let out a soft yelp of surprise and spun around to see Kiyoshi, with a very faint half-smirk on his face.

"Where'd - why'd you -" he started. Kiyoshi's eyes darkened.

"Well. You remember our agreement, right? There's anonymity in this crowd, but not with your friend. And his girlfriend, I'm presuming. We went over this."

So that's what it was. And somehow, even though Kiyoshi was right - it hurt, a dull sort of ever-present ache.

It made sense. They _weren't_ dating, and while Jun knew that, Isabella might have assumed, after recognizing, and he knew that Kiyoshi wanted to keep the fact that they knew each other at all under wraps. He just...had assumed after everything that had happened, particularly today, after knowing more about Kiyoshi and telling Kiyoshi in turn more about himself than he ever could have imagined...that they were at least, to some extent, _friends_.

"Well, they're gone, now," River said, forcing some lightheartedness into his tone.

"Yeah," Kiyoshi agreed. "Right, now where did we leave off? Oh yeah, let's get some drinks. All this food…"

"Is even _salt_ too spicy for you?"

"Look, just because I don't like to murder my mouth every time I eat -"

And while it was reassuring that they could fall back into their pattern so easily, there was also a sinking feeling in River's heart that maybe, it didn't really mean much to Kiyoshi at all.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_**Note**_

 _Well, it's been a while. Updates should resume on some kind of a regular schedule from now on, for those of you following this work._

 _This chapter contains, really, just a dominant/submissive relationship, and nothing much else in the way of kinks, unless you consider phone sex to be one._

 _As always, thank you to all the readers, reviewers and followers, and especially the people who haven't lost patience with the (lack of a coherent) updating schedule._

 _\- asterire_

* * *

"Going out again so soon?"

Kacey shrugged. "Yeah, the place closes in about an hour, but one of the cashiers isn't feeling well and had to leave, so I'm gonna fill in. It's only a fifteen minute walk there, anyway."

"Leaving me alone?" River joked. "You're making feel pretty bad about my social life, you know."

"Are Jun and Sofia not in?"

River twisted around in his seat to face Kacey, who had paused in the doorway to their apartment, about to leave. "Sofia's almost always out, you know she's trying to prove that she really deserves that position. And Jun's out with Isabella, celebrating their anniversary."

Kacey laughed, a bubbly, endearing little thing. "Yeah, it's kind of funny how she got so much more determined after she was accepted to continue at Dalton. I guess she's trying to prove that they're right in their decision. Jun's anniversary, though? Didn't they just get back together? How long is the anniversary even _for_?"

"One week."

Kacey laughed again. "What an accomplishment."

"Well, for Jun and Isabella, it kind of is," River said dryly, to another burst of laughter from Kacey.

"Speaking of accomplishments," Kacey said. "Congratulations on yours. The one for research students, right? It's a lot of money."

"Fifteen thousand dollars," River admitted, flushing slightly. "Thanks. It was, uh, unexpected," he said. "And maybe rigged," he said under his breath.

He'd been automatically entered for the scholarship, given his major and his past experience as a research assistant to two of his professors, but the email notification had still been a shock. Especially after the (kind of awful) week he'd endured the week prior to the email, he hadn't expected much in the way of scholarships at all, given the lateness of the school year. It seemed almost too convenient - the scholarship paid off almost all of his outstanding debt, and put him in a secure financial position that he hadn't even dreamed of imagining. After realizing the scholarship was funded by Nakano Enterprises, though, he'd had more than a few suspicions about the integrity of the thing.

"Well, even if it was rigged," Kacey said. "You deserve it, either way. And, well, Nakano said it wasn't, right?"

River let out a half-amused huff of laughter. "I mean, even if it was, I doubt he'd admit to it."

"Point taken."

Of course River had confronted Kiyoshi, more than a little awkwardly, with a great deal of tripping over his words and stumbling through his sentences.

 _I wanted to - to talk, I mean I - two days ago, I got an email and I, I was one of the recipients of the scholarship, you know, the -_

 _Oh, the one I fund? Congratulations, I thought you might._

 _Thanks - I mean, no, not - does that mean you had something, maybe, something to do with - I don't - look, I'm just -_

"But he doesn't really seem like the kind of person to lie about his own personal motives," Kacey said contemplatively. "Then again, I've only ever exchanged, maybe, three sentences with him and they were all variants on _have a good day, sir,_ so I can't really say much."

 _I probably could have picked the recipients if I wanted to, but honestly, kitten, I completely forgot that the scholarship happened around this time. You deserve it, if it was awarded to you._

"Anyway, I'll be heading off, now. And speaking of him, you can always head over to his place if you're feeling _that_ lonely," Kacey teased.

River blushed at the mention of his arrangement. "Um, actually, I can't. He's out on a business trip. He'll be back in about three days."

"Know his schedule, now, do you?" Kacey laughed at River's protesting splutters. "Okay, I _really_ need to get going. See you, River. You'll find some way to entertain yourself, I'm sure. Hopefully not too entertained, though, if you know what I mean."

"Just _go._ "

Kacey's bubbling laugh followed her out as she shut the door behind her. River let out a half-sigh, half laugh, falling back in his stiff chair.

It was quiet in the apartment, lonely, almost, now that they were out doing their own things more often instead of confined in the apartment with their coursework. The silence was broken only by the faint whirring of his laptop, open to a document with a mostly-finished paper. It wasn't exactly unheard of for one of them to be alone in their apartment at some time or another, but it didn't happen often, given the fact that there were four of them in and out all the time, and especially not this late, when the light of the sunset was bleeding through the windows onto River's face.

He sighed and read through his paper a second time, deleting a few words and adding a couple more here and there. Before long, he'd managed to get down to the end of the paper, and absolutely refused to think about rereading it yet again.

There was a certain restlessness to him that he couldn't really describe, but if he was honest with himself, he was simply _bored._ There wasn't anyone to talk to, he'd finished just about all of his coursework due in the next few days, and, well…

As if the thought had summoned it, River phone vibrated on the desk next to his mousepad. He spared it a glance, expecting it to be Jun - and flushed immediately when he saw Kiyoshi's name flash across the screen.

River didn't even hesitate before snatching up his phone and scanning through Kiyoshi's text.

 _conferences across the country are just as fucking insufferable as the ones in dalton, in case you were wondering_

River grinned. _Don't let them hear you say that._

The reply came almost instantly. _i don't care, they can all go fuck themselves_

 _Language?_

 _fucking hell, they're so entitled like you wouldn't believe. i had to text you to remind myself that not everyone in the world is an asshole. just most of them._

 _i'm getting carried away. i need to loosen up or i'll end up walking out of the thing tomorrow._

River bit his lip, feeling something stir inside of him eagerly at the implications of Kiyoshi's last text. He started to type out a response, deleting his words several times before settling on a simple statement that was up for interpretation - in case he had read the situation wrong through the screen.

 _I'm home alone._

He waited for Kiyoshi's response, tugging on the ends of his bangs with such force that he knocked his glasses askew. When he had hastily re-straightened them, it was to see another new text from Kiyoshi.

 _oh, really? and what are you planning on doing with yourself?_

River's breathing quickened in a mixture of nerves and anticipation. His fingers shook slightly as he sent a response.

 _Whatever you want me to do._

His lip was starting to hurt, what with how hard he was biting at it. He typed out another message and sent it before he could think more into it.

 _Master_

River waited with bated breath for Kiyoshi's response. A minute went by, then another, during which time River tugged so hard at his bangs that his scalp started to hurt.

Five minutes had passed by the time another text dinged its way into River's phone. River stared at it, then inhaled so violently that he choked, coughing and spluttering at his screen.

It was a picture of Kiyoshi, taken from above, cut so that River could only see from the shoulders down. He was still wearing a sharply pressed button-up shirt, with a tie looped loosely around the collar, but his slacks were gone so that his toned legs were entirely bare against white sheets that River assumed belonged to a hotel bed. His free hand was resting on the crotch of his black boxer briefs, where there was a noticeable tent where his erection was straining at the fabric.

River swallowed, and felt his own underwear tighten at the image, especially when he read the next text that Kiyoshi sent.

 _naughty kitten, teasing me like that._

Arousal pooling in his stomach, River typed out another response. _How can I make it up to you, Master?_

Kiyoshi's response was swift, as if he'd been waiting for River's words. _send me a picture of you._

 _i want to see your pretty little hole and your legs spread wide apart for me._

River glanced wildly around to confirm that he really was home alone - Jun was gone with Isabella, Sofia was out networking, and Kacey was taking over a shift, none of them would be back any time in the near future. He closed his laptop quickly and nearly skidded on the floor in his haste to get into his and Jun's bedroom, just for an added measure of security. His dash only served to remind him of his persistent erection, making his breath stutter for reasons entirely unrelated to his lack of regular physical exercise.

River pushed his pants and underwear down over his ankles and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. It was distinctly uncomfortable, but the extent of his arousal was such that he didn't particularly notice or care.

He looked at his phone again and saw another message from Kiyoshi.

 _i'm getting impatient, kitten._

River swallowed again. He'd never done anything like this before - well, he had, sort of, but it had only ever been vague, blurry pictures of a naked torso or bare legs, nothing close to being as extreme as what he was considering on doing now - what he was about to do, now.

He stretched out the phone in front of him, as far as it would go, leaned back, and spread his legs.

Barely seconds after the picture had sent through, River's phone vibrated insistently with a call. River had a wild moment of panic, terrified that his mother would be calling him, somehow aware that he was deep in a sexting session with Kiyoshi Nakano, of all people - but it was Kiyoshi himself, his blank profile photo flashing insistently across River's screen.

River swiped to answer the call, tapping to put it on speakerphone and setting it next to him on the bed. Kiyoshi's voice filtered through immediately, low and rough and shooting straight through to River's cock.

 _"Looks like my kitten hasn't been behaving while I've been gone, hm?"_

River let out a strangled gasp. "I - I have, Master, I promise."

 _"Yeah? My little kitten's being naughty tonight, though, isn't he? I bet he's been touching himself thinking of his master's cock, without my permission."_

"I - no, I haven't, Master, I'm being good - I'm waiting for you, Master, I promise, I've been good for you."

 _"What a sweet little kitten. Good boy."_

River's stomach fluttered at the praise, and his cheeks warmed. He ducked his head down shyly, even though no one was there to see him.

 _"My pretty little kitten's been waiting for me, has he? What does he want me to do to him, when I get back?"_

River swallowed again and fiddled with the hem of his sweatshirt, his erection visible underneath. "Master?"

 _"Show me how you want it, kitten."_

"M - Master?"

 _"I want you to touch yourself, kitten, and think of my cock while you're doing it, and tell me exactly how much you want me, kitten."_

It was a good thing that River didn't have the phone in his hand, because he was certain he would have dropped it with his fumbling fingers. He slid open the dresser drawer and flicked open the lid to the bottle of lube (more depleted than he expected, but he didn't want to dwell on what Jun was doing in his spare time) drizzled it messily over his fingers.

River let out a quiet gasp as he probed the first finger in, something that Kiyoshi seemed to have heard.

 _"Tell me how you want me to open you up, kitten."_

"I -" River gasped. "I want Master to do it slowly and - tease me, and tell me what - what a good boy I am, for - for opening up for him -"

 _"Mm, good kitten. I want you to put two fingers in, now."_

River slipped another finger in, letting out a quiet whine at the familiar burn.

 _"Good kitten, obeying his master so well. What do you want me to do, then?"_

River keened softly, letting his head fall back against the wall of the bedroom. "I - I want Master to make me beg for his cock - I want Master to fill me up and fuck me hard and rough -"

There was a muffled curse from Kiyoshi's end of the line. _"Fuck, kitten. Three fingers, fuck yourself open on them."_

River slipped another finger in, wincing at the stretch and feeling his cock twitch eagerly at the sensation. He wrapped the other hand around his erect cock, stroking in an uneven, hasty rhythm.

"M - Master," he gasped. "Master, I need to - I'm gonna -"

Kiyoshi's voice was rough and uneven, and River could hear heavy breathing on his end of the line. _"Come for me, kitten."_

River's body jerked backwards as he let out a gasping cry as he found his release, spilling into his clenched fist. His chest was heaving for air, and for a second, he nearly slipped into now-familiar comforting fuzziness.

 _"Stay with me, darling. River, can you hear me? You can't slip now, you're alone."_

River took a moment in silence to try and right his spinning head, still reeling with the aftershocks of his orgasm. Kiyoshi's voice on the other end of the line sharpened suddenly.

 _"River? Say something, or so help me I'll send Hisa over to check on you, and I'm sure that's a situation all three of us would like to avoid. Come on, stay with me -"_

"Yeah, I'm -" River let out a breathless laugh. "Calm down, I'm fine. I just - had to catch my breath." He grimaced at the mess he had left behind and grabbed the box of tissues on the nightstand, cleaning himself up as he talked. He hadn't done this in a while - the past sessions he'd had before always had Kiyoshi there to clean him up and ease him back to reality, and the lack of his warm, solid presence was disconcerting, to say the least.

There was what seemed to be a sigh of relief on Kiyoshi's end of the line. _"Good. Worried me for a second, there. Good boy, for hanging on,"_ Kiyoshi's voice sounded almost like a croon, and River warmed at the praise. _"I'll reward you when I get back. God, I needed that. I'll, well, need to ask for a change of bedsheets on the hotel bed, but all things considered, it was worth it."_

River laughed quietly. "Glad I could help." He was feeling a little blurry around the edges, but talking was helping to smooth them out. "You're back in a few days, right?"

 _"Three at most, maybe two, if we manage to stay on schedule tomorrow. Miss me? Or maybe it's just my dick that you miss,"_ Kiyoshi teased.

"Well, it's a nice dick," River said, grinning even though Kiyoshi couldn't see it. "Miss the person attached to it too, though."

 _"I'm flattered, really."_

River hesitated briefly, then spoke up again. "Don't - don't work too hard, I guess? Like today, you know, you can call me if you need to destress. Or just talk."

 _"Now, who's the dominant in this arrangement?"_

River let out a huff of surprised laughter. Kiyoshi continued, warmly. _"Thanks, though, darling. Talking helps. And that goes both ways, you know. I might not be able to pick up whenever, but make sure you're not overworking yourself. God knows you must have at some point, to get that fucking scholarship. Which you earned based on_ your own merit, _by the way, and didn't have anything to do with me, in case you were wondering, again._ _"_

River smiled - there was something about Kiyoshi's words, his concern, maybe, or his reassurance, that made him flush warm with appreciation. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. I'll - see you in, a few days?"

 _"Sounds good, darling. Bye."_

The call disconnected with a beep. River collapsed against the bed, but no sooner than he had begun to relax did a knock sound at his bedroom door.

"Riv?"

Cursing under his breath, River scrambled to bull his underwear and sweats back on. "Yeah, I - you can come in, Kace."

Kacey opened the door and stepped in, flicking the light on and taking a seat at the edge of the bed. "Was that Nakano, on the phone?"

"Oh - I, yeah," River said. He hadn't even heard Kacey come back into the apartment, but one look at his phone confirmed that a little over an hour had gone by - that, and the fact that the sun had set so that the window showed an array of city lights. "Um, how much of that did you hear?"

"Heard something about dicks, vaguely, but didn't tune in until a little after that." River blushed furiously. _Could have been worse,_ he told himself. _At least she didn't come in earlier._ "He sounds...well, I don't know him personally, but you…"

River turned to look at her in the face. She was looking down at her own interlocked fingers, as if contemplating something.

"What about me?"

Kacey considered whatever she was planning on saying for a few more moments, before speaking again. "You sound very concerned for his well-being. Well, I mean, you're a decent person, but also...you're very affectionate with each other, aren't you?"

"We fuck every week, Kace," River said, jokingly, but he couldn't quite keep out the undercurrent of nervousness out of his voice.

"Don't play dumb with me, Riv. It - I wouldn't say you're in love, maybe not yet, but I think you're on your way there."

River opened his mouth to protest, but somehow, couldn't bring it in himself to do it. He stared at Kacey, trying to sort through his thoughts - but really, there wasn't much to sort through. Kiyoshi's playful teasing, his passionate outbursts, the endearing crooked twist to his smile, his gentleness and concern, even today. Everything pointed towards one thing that he had been ducking away from, trying to convince himself that he wasn't, he couldn't possibly -

"Yeah," he said quietly, his voice aching and raw and feeling as if he had been stripped to his core, baring his thoughts for the world to see now that he had finally admitted it to himself. "Fuck, Kace. I think I'm falling for Kiyoshi Nakano."


End file.
